


You Were My First

by Alverick



Series: You Were My First [1]
Category: Extracurricular Activities (Visual Novel)
Genre: Eventual Sex, Gay, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alverick/pseuds/Alverick
Relationships: Darius Maynor/Spencer Caldon
Series: You Were My First [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155767
Kudos: 1





	1. Ghosted

“Sorry. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk with me about anything other than club related topics.” Spencer says, his face and voice neutral, but a venom just simmering underneath. 

Too stunned to respond, Darius just stands there. It hurt. Somehow more than when Spencer suddenly ghosted him. It had been ironic, really. He didn’t like to, but he’d done the same to plenty of people. From creeps to just clingy hookups, he’d never really considered how much it could upset people until he himself was left staring vacantly at the last message he’d ever sent to the husky. 

He recovers though, puts a charming smile on his face like always. “Alright then, _captain_. Just wanted to say I look forward to playing with you.” He says, before turning around and walking away, exactly what Spencer no doubt wants him to do. 

No use dwelling on Spencer, he supposes. He clearly wants nothing to do with the lion, and Darius knows better than to go after something he’ll never get. Besides, there were plenty of other hot studs for Darius to get his hands on. 

* * * *

“Darius, this paper really is unacceptable.” Coach- no, _Professor_ Grifter sternly berates. “I mean, you couldn't have thought it was good.”

Darius doesn’t respond, half because he knows it’s a piece of shit paper. He did it in an hour, butt naked, condom barely off. Of course it was terrible. The other half though is because Darius is too busy admiring coach in a suit and tie. The man is absolutely stacked. 

“Look, I don’t wanna be a hard ass. This is probably just a course requirement for you. But the only way I can pass you is if you at least give an effort towards the paper. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I got it. Sorry.” Darius says, trying his best not to pout. It would’ve been easier if he was just belligerent at him, like his old man. That “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed” schtick always shot right through his heart. 

“I’ll give you until midnight tonight. Read over your paper, and look over the rubric again. Hell, even spell checking this will bump you up a letter grade at this point.” Darius winced at that, had it really been that bad? Writing papers, he always sorta blacked out. Absolutely no clue what he even wrote. “And try to read the material, it’s only a couple pages long after all.”

“Alright.” the lion says with a sigh. Grabbing the offered paper from coach’s hand, he prepares to leave. 

“I really mean it Darius. Put some thought and effort into this and you’ll get full marks. Since you’re here, maybe you can go to the library and just get it done. Hell, not like I’m going anywhere, you could stay here and do it.”

“Thanks coach, but sitting here and having you looming over me sounds like way too much pressure.” Darius says, failing to mention it would also be way too distracting. He’d have to _crank one out_ if he had any hopes of cranking it out here. 

The large bear pouts a bit. “I wouldn’t _loom_.”

Darius chuckles. “Sorry, but you’re a teacher and I’m a student. Your default state is sadly always gonna be looming.”

“Hah, fair enough.” Coach says. “Remember. By midnight tonight. Otherwise I’m locking in the grade you’ve got right now.”

“Will do. See you at practice, Coach.” Darius says, giving him a quick two fingered salute before making his way out of the classroom. 

Exiting from the door, he takes in a deep breath. It’s a damn fine day, especially with class canceled. With the extra time, he could have himself a nice, long work out. Maybe see if he can have himself a little “fun”. Though his chances were slim, most people didn’t head to the gym to hook up after all. Still, plenty of eye candy all around. 

He pauses though, a small voice in the back of his head berating him for immediately thinking of getting his rocks off. That had literally been why he’d done so bad in the first place. Though to be fair, it was really the fact that the sudden shoot had taken so long, and then that cute barista finally texted him saying he was free! 

Still . . . he had the extra time. And the library was literally just a building away . . .

“Uggghhhh.” Darius groans out loud as he trudges towards the large building he hadn’t entered since orientation. 

Walking through the arched entranceway, Darius is immediately hit by the smell of old books and paper, as well as the same generic cleaner all the custodial staff used cleaning the campus buildings. To his surprise, the library is fairly busy. 

Where there’s a desk or couch or chair, there’s a student occupying it. Some just on their phones, others busy at work, and others yet probably watching netflix. He makes his way deeper into the library, looking for some empty chair or table to use. On the bright side, if he can’t find anything, he’ll just have to cut his losses and head to the gym!

Luck, however, doesn’t seem to be on his side. In the back of the library, nestled between two bookshelves, is a table with one sole occupant. A familiar husky, scribbling something out on a sheet of scratch paper. Darius lets out a sigh, contemplating turning around. Though . . . on the bright side, Spencer was plenty fun to look at too. And even more fun to annoy. The lion grins deviously before strutting over. 

Spencer’s ears flick towards the large cat, but he remains wholly focused on his task until Darius reaches the table. 

“Ahem.” Darius clears his throat, causing Spencer to glance up. His expression immediately sours. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Yes.” He answers sharply before returning to his work. 

“Oh, c’mon. All the other seats are taken!” Darius says, voice low, lest he give Spencer a reason to shush him. 

“Really. _All_ the other seats were taken?”

“Mmmmmhm.” Darius hums out. “Look, I didn’t come here just to bother you. I gotta redo my paper for Coach.”

“Wow, it was that bad, huh?” Spencer says, though the lion chooses to ignore the biting comment. 

“Apparently. Look, it probably won’t take me long. Please?”

Spencer looks at him, obviously annoyed. But most importantly, he looks conflicted. “Mmm . . . fine.”

“Thank you.” Darius says, smiling widely as he takes his seat. 

Before long, the husky turns back to his work, miffed obviously. “Hey Spence.” the husky growls, at the interruption. “You got the reading printed out?”

To his surprise, the dog actually reaches into his backpack, pulling out a binder before opening it up to pull out a packet of paper. It’s highlighted, with a few messy notes scribbled in the side. Darius actually feels bad, expecting a curt no if anything. 

“Try not to just copy the notes.” Spencer spits out before handing him the papers. 

“Ah don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’d have to rewrite my entire paper if I did that. Like hell I’m gonna go through that much trouble.” He says. 

Looking at the marked up paper, he lets out a quiet huff before deciding not to bother the husky further and instead get to work. 

The first page is a genuine attempt at reading it through. By page 3 he’s skimming. He thanks whatever god above there isn’t any more than 7 pages as he puts it down. Worst part though was he didn’t understand shit. A second reading sounds miserable, so instead he takes out the marked up essay he’d received from Coach Grifter and starts reading over the notes that had been scribbled in. The man was a damn fast grader, Darius would give him that. Each stroke of red pen made the lion cringe inward as he’s faced with each and every stupid little mistake. From spelling errors to run on sentences, to larger notes such as “Evidence? Please include quote or explanation”, and entire sections labeled off topic, with a note to better connect it to the essay. 

It feels as if his soul has left his body by the time he’s done with the paper, only two pages long. He needed a break. He takes out his phone, opening up grindr. A surprising amount of people are nearby. Mostly faceless profiles. A message even pops up right in his inbox, a shockingly forward message asking him if he wanted a quickie in the library bathroom. 

“Really? Looking to hook up already?” Spencer scoffs.

Darius perks up, realizing he had his phone flat on the table, clearly in the husky’s line of sight. “Just window shopping.” Darius says with his signature smirk. “Maybe set up plans for when I’m done.”

“You should be working to actually get it done then.”

“Gosh, can’t a guy take a break?” Darius shoots back. Spencer doesn’t respond with anything other than a doubtful “hmph”. “What’re you working on anyway?”

“Calc.” 

“Right, you’re taking Mr. Schaltz’s class with Eric, right? Ugh, fucking hated that class.”

“You took it already?” Spencer asks, surprised. 

“Yeah, I needed some more units last semester.” Darius says. “If you, uh, need any help . . . feel free to ask.” 

“I think I’ll be alright.” Spencer says, rather sharply before turning back to his work. 

“What, is it really that shocking I might be good at math?” Darius says playfully. 

“I never said that.” Spencer comments, the subtext clear enough. The lion chuckles at that before going back to his own work. 

It takes a good hour for Darius to finish up working. Rereading the damn thing was made easier with the husky’s notes, but then carefully going through his essay to fix every little mistake was more time consuming than he thought it would be. 

Still, it was better to do it now rather than put it off till later. Especially if he was gonna have some company over. 

With a groan, he stretches out his back, feeling a bit sore having been hunched over for so goddamn long. 

“Thanks again Spence.” Darius says, handing the packet of paper back to the disgruntled dog. Spencer only grunts back a reply, putting the little packet off to the side. It’s only a moment later before the dog follows the lion’s suit, leaning back in an arch to stretch. His midriff must be showing, Darius muses. If only the damn table hadn’t blocked the view. 

“You done too?” Darius asks, watching Spencer starting to straighten up his papers. 

“Mhm.”

“Nice. Wanna go out for lunch or something?” Darius asks. He’s not sure why really, he knows the answer. 

Just as he expects, Spencer looks sternly at him. “No.” He answers, before returning to packing away his things. 

Well, can’t say he didn’t try. Darius packs away his own things, not really wanting to stay here longer than necessary. He still had time for a work out before a late lunch. And so long as he wasn’t missing any other assignments, he’s got the day to himself!

“See you at practice.” He says, to which Spencer mutters the same back, barely even looking back at the lion. He lets out a huff, before finishing his own packing and rising up from the chair. His back feels stiff from the uncomfortable seat, though it doesn’t stop him from slinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading out. 

“What’re you doing here, Eric?” Darius asks, half nude standing in the locker room. 

“O-Oh, uh, just getting my work-out in.” Eric says with a lopsided smile, very obviously looking anywhere but at Darius. 

“Hmm? You sure you’re not here for the eye candy?” Darius teases. 

“Believe it or not, I’m not a huge perv like yourself.” Eric shoots back. 

“Hm, you keep telling yourself that.” Darius says, slipping down his shorts, smirking as Eric almost on reflex takes a glance before looking away, face beet red. “But seriously, didn’t expect you to be here late. Class was canceled after all. Pretty sure both of yours, actually.”

“I was hanging out with coach Grifter.” Eric answers. 

“Hmmmmmm~” Darius hums, grinning ear to ear. 

“Wait, how’d you know my math class was canceled too?” Eric asks. 

“You’re taking it with Spencer, right?” Eric nods. “He was at the library, and I doubt he’s capable of ditching.”

“Ahh. You two were hanging out together?” 

“Sorta.” Darius says, before pausing to actually put on his gym clothes. Not too different from his regular clothes, but still. “I just happened to be at the same table as him while doing some homework.”

“Homework huh?”

“Yup. I know, very out of character.” Darius says. “Enough of that though. Since we’re both here together, wanna work out with me?”

“Oh, sure. Nothing wrong with a work out partner I suppose.” Eric says. “No funny business though.”

“From me? Never.” 

Eric changes hurriedly, either to not keep the lion waiting or not give him too much of a show. Out of respect, Darius only steals a handful of glances, though it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, either before or after practice. 

Darius gets to decide their work out routine for the day, so he goes with what he was going to do anyway, core and cardio, starting with a warm up on the treadmills. 

There’s surprisingly few others at the gym, which only means less eye candy for the poor lion. It makes sense, given that it’s the time everyone is having lunch or in a class desperately wanting lunch. The thought does little to soothe the lion’s great disappointment. He has Eric, at the very least. 

“Do you know how to do planks?” Darius asks as they grab workout mats from off the wall. 

“Uh . . . it’s that thing where you lay flat on something, right?”

“Mm, I guess that’s technically right.” Darius says, before demonstrating the proper form of what a plank is before helping Eric do the same. He gets to even cop a quick feel as he tells the man to lower his ass. 

“H . . . How long do I gotta hold this again?” Eric asks, already starting to shake. 

“40 seconds, three times.” Darius responds from his own mat. “Just hold out for as long as you can.”

“G . . . Gotcha.”

A handful of exercises later, Eric is thoroughly sore and exhausted. Darius on the other hand is fairly content with himself, having gotten quite a few opportunities to get touchy with the other man. 

“Ugh, I feel awful.”

“Haha, you’re just new to these sorta exercises.” Darius reassures him. 

“Mm I guess.” Eric mutters. “Hey . . . Darius?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?” Eric asks as they get to the locker room.

“What, you wanna hook up?” Darius says with a smirk on his muzzle. 

Eric laughs. “No, no, it’s not that. I just wanted to ask what . . . well what’s with you and Spencer?”

“Whaddayamean?” Darius asks coyly, his tail whipping around nervously. 

“C’mon, you know what I mean.”

The lion shrugs. “What can I say? We’re just incompatible. I love to have fun and he has a giant stick up his ass.”

“Oh he’s not that bad.” Eric says. 

“Well of course you’d say that, you’re close to him, right?”

“I mean, yeah . . .” Eric trails off. “I dunno, it’s just not really like him to be so standoffish.”

“Mm, well that’s how it is.” Darius says. He kicks himself mentally, that was way too curt. 

“Still, I’d rather you two get along. Oh hey, did Spencer tell you about the fundraiser idea?” Darius gives him a puzzled look. “Well, to help raise some money for the club we’re gonna have this event at a cafe nearby. Me and Spencer are just gonna be setting up and stuff, but I’m sure he’d appreciate you being there and helping out. Plus it’ll be fun, and there’s free food.”

“Sorry Eric, but I don’t think Spencer would want me there.” Darius says. “Look, I know you got the best of intentions. But this is just . . . how it is.” _And it’s my fault._

Nevertheless, Eric looks dejected. “Alright. Well if you change your mind . . .”

“I’ll let you know.” Darius says, starting to strip off his clothes again to throw them into the locker. “Hey, you ever try out the saunas here?”

“Uh, can’t say I have. Being in a hot room after an already hot and sweaty work out sounds awful.”

“Aww, c’mon, it’s good for you!” Darius says, trying to entice him further. 

“Haha, thanks but I’ll have to pass this time, I should head home anyway. Thanks for working out with me.” Eric says before he finishes changing clothes and heads out, leaving Darius alone once again. 

He lets out a sigh before grabbing a towel. Maybe there’ll be someone in the sauna.


	2. Venting Anger

“Awww, c’mon Chester, I’m just suggesting some chill hang out time! Just you and me, netflix and chilling.” Darius says, a wide grin on his face. 

“Thanks Darius, but I’m good.” Chester says, finishing changing, much to the lion’s disappointment. “I’ve got a shift tomorrow, and then plans after too.”

“Hmm, you sure? Maybe I could ask Dozer if he’d wanna join in too.” Darius says, waggling his eyebrows. 

“Oh, Dozer’s busy tomorrow too.” The bull says, much to the lion’s surprise. He expected him to get a little flustered at least. But more glaringly . . .

“How’d you know Dozer’s busy tomorrow?” Darius says, cheshire grin on his face. That gets the reaction he had expected, his face going red with an amazing amount of clarity. 

“C’mon Darius, stop messing with the big guy.” Eric says, popping his head into the bathroom. “Can’t be late just because you wanna be a perv, Darius.”

“We got plenty of time.” Darius says, though he still walks out towards the courts, along with Chester and Eric. 

“Well if you do wanna hang out, Darius, I’m usually in the student lounge before and after classes. Usually playing Magic.”

“That card game?” Darius asks. He vaguely remembers his sister playing it. And calling her a huge nerd for it. “I don’t play, sadly.”

“I could totally teach you! And I could loan you a deck too, see how you like it.” Chester says, eyes practically sparkling. 

“M-Maybe . . .” Darius mutters. The bull seemed so excited to induct yet another player into that certain friend circle, but it also didn’t seem like it would get him laid. Nothing wrong with just hanging out with Chester though . . . just maybe not playing a card game. 

Arriving at the courts, it isn’t long until Coach goes through his usual pre-practice talk. Working out today’s training regimen and exercises, and talking about a practice match they’d be having in the near future. 

“It’s not an official match or tournament, but most likely we’ll be seeing them in an official setting at a later date. We’ll be using this as an opportunity to scout out our opponents, and see the area’s we’ll be needing to work on. I’ll go over transportation plans next week, but for now it’ll be Spencer and I driving you all there. But that’s enough of that. Let’s get started with warm ups.” 

We all head towards the edge of the court, before starting to run. The Tennis court in total isn’t all too large, but it isn’t as if they need to run a mile. As Darius takes off into a jog though, he jokes to himself that Chester actually probably runs a mile in laps every other practice. The temper on that bull is always shocking. 

A flash of black and white fur passes him. Spencer, Darius realizes. Without thinking about it, Darius speeds up, catching up with Spencer before passing him. The lion can hear a faint growl before he sees the dog catching up with him. 

They’re nearly sprinting as they finish up their warm up run, panting much harder than need be. Coach lets out a quiet groan at the two of them, and Spencer is giving him the stink eye. But only because Darius _won_. He shoots him a quick wink before turning away to grab his racket, ignoring any fuming the husky was no doubt doing. 

“God, Darius . . . you know it’s a jog, not a sprint, right?” Eric says, his own breathing heavy as he finishes up as well. 

The lion shrugs. “Just means I’m more warmed up for today.” Eric looks like he’s about to argue, before he thinks better and just gives the point to Darius. “Hey, you wanna practice together agai-”

“Darius.” Spencer says, from just behind him, making Darius jump a bit. The lion turns around to face the dog, who has his usual neutral look of displeasure. “Practice with me today?”

“Oh, uh . . . sure.” Darius says. 

“Eric, you’ll be playing with Coach today.” Spencers says, before turning back towards the lion and cocking his head, walking wordlessly towards the third tennis court. 

“So . . . what’re we gonna do today?” Darius asks.

“Just a normal match to start off. Since we’ll be having our practice game soon.” Spencer says, without looking back. “Afterwards we’ll do some drills.”

“Sounds good.” Darius says, making his way to one end of the court. A sense of dread builds up in the pit of his stomach. He isn’t exactly sure why, but Spencer seems angry today. 

His fears are confirmed when Spencer tosses the ball up, his form mesmerizing before he snaps forward, smashing the ball into Darius’s side of the court. Even making his best effort for it, it barely hits in the corner of the damn court, close enough he might have even called out. Looking back towards the husky, he can see him smirking, obviously pleased with himself. Darius grits his teeth in silent anger as he passes the ball back to Spencer, preparing himself for another serve. 

It’s 45-love before Spencer finally makes a mistake. Out of bounds, just a bit too much force into it. It frustrated the lion to no end that he couldn’t return a single serve, but he at least was getting better at reading the damn dog. He gets back at Spencer on his own serve though, getting lucky and hitting the net, having the ball just bounce in as the husky scrambles to try and get it before the second bounce. 

Darius obviously gets his ass handed to him. It was never a question of if he would, considering the gap in their skills. He managed to get one win out of the three games they played, but only because Spencer spent more time running him around the court. He returned the favor a handful of times though. 

“Must say, not the pounding I was expecting from you, Spence.” Darius teases, though it loses its impact with how the lion is still trying to catch his breath. 

“Ugh. You’re incorrigible.” 

“Better that than an ass.” Darius shoots back, maybe with a bit more bite than intended. “Seriously, what was with you today?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh come off it, dude. We don’t exactly practice together often, but you usually don’t go out of your way to make any of the other guys miserable.”

“Well you don’t have to go out of your way to be a sleazeball but you always do, so I guess it’s just in our nature.”

“Dude, what are you even- Oh my god. Wait a second.” Darius says, realizing the source of his sudden ire. Or at least more than usual. “I’m guessing Eric told you that we ran into each other at the gym today?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Spencer says, though his face clearly says he did. 

“Ugh, dude. Eric and I literally just worked out together. We’re allowed to do that you know, on account of us being, ya know, friends?”

“Oh please, you’ve only ever got one thing on your mind, Darius.”

“Wow, going straight to slut shaming, huh? Real fucking classy.” The lion says. His eyes glance over to the others. Only Chester has noticed something going on. He really didn’t want to make a scene. 

“Look I know I’m the easiest guy on campus, but here’s the big thing: we’re both adults. If he ever decides to want to have some fun, he doesn’t need you protecting his fucking chastity like you’re his mother-”

“I don’t care about his virginity, I just don’t want some douchebag like you to hurt him.” Spencer says, the rage barely contained on his face. 

“God what do you think I’m gonna do to him?” 

Spencer doesn’t respond. But it’s written all over his face. 

_“The same thing you did to me.”_

“Tch, whatever.” Darius says, breaking the tense silence. “Look, you done using me as your punching bag? Am I gonna even be able to practice today? Or should I just practice in the corner by myself?”

“Hmph. Sorry.” Spencer says, insincerely of course. “Let’s work on your serves.”

The rest of practice is at the very least constructive. But by the end of it, Darius is still left way too tired, and still frustrated as hell. 

“Hey, uh, is everything alright?” Chester asks as they head out of the courts. His voice is hushed, and he looks nervous. Darius can’t help but snort at that. 

“If you mean between me and Spencer, yeah. Don’t worry about it.” Darius says, though it’s a half assed lie. “If you wanna cheer me up though you could reconsider my offer.”

“Pfft, well you’re obviously alright.” Chester says, patting him on the back way too hard. “See you in class, Darius.”

“Have fun with Dozer.” Darius says with a wide grin, barely containing his laughter at Chester sputtering a weak denial. 

Darius pulls out his phone as Chester gets further and further away, still spouting half hearted denials. He pulls up Azaghal’s contact. It wasn’t necessarily a rare occasion, but all the same he wanted the comfort of the big cat tonight.


	3. White Thunder

E: Darius, are you by chance free today?

D: Yeah, I should be

D: Why? You wanna have some fun? `3’

E: I actually need a huge favor. Do you think you could help Spencer out with the fundraiser thing? It would be in the evening for a couple hours, but I’ll pay you back, promise!

E: No sexual favors though.

D: Mmmm, I don’t think he’d want me there tbh :/ 

D: Did you check with Chester or Dozer?

E: No dice ;-; Chester and Dozer both got work today. Coach is busy too with his publisher too

D: Publisher?

E: Fuck, I’ll explain later. Do you think you’d be willing to?

D: . . . You owe me big time. But yeah I’ll be able to. 

D: You’re lucky I don’t gotta be at the studio today

E: Studio? 

D: I’ll explain when you tell me about Coach Grifter’s publisher ;p

D: Now hurry up and send me the details about what I gotta do

* * * *

“What’re you doing here, Darius?” Spencer asked, his face more displeased than shocked. 

“C’mon, there’s no way Eric didn’t tell you already.” Darius teases. “I’m here to fill in for him.”

“And I told him I’d be fine on my own.” Spencer sharply says. 

“And he told me to come and help anyway. After all if I didn’t he’d feel bad.” Darius throws out. That gets a small, annoyed growl from the husky. “And you wouldn’t wanna make your bestie feel guilty since he had other stuff to handle, riiiiiight?”

“Ugh, just do what you want.” Spencer spits out. 

“Well I wanna help. So tell me what I can do.” Darius says, smiling widely at the small victory. 

With a quick flourish, Spencer pulls out a piece of paper. “First we need to set the tables and chairs. We’re not too clear on how many are coming but better to set up all of them and have extras rather than set up too few.” The husky hands him a sheet of paper. A diagram of the seating area, Darius realizes. “Think you can handle that?”

Darius lets out a little whistle as he looks over the paper. “Organized as ever, I see. Yeah it’ll be a breeze. Any notes on how you want the tables set?”

“We’ll get to that once all the tables and chairs are out in the correct place. Now get to work.”

With a small chuckle he gets moving. The diagram is neat and organized, typical of the dog’s usual work. Quietly, the two of them start taking the tables to their designated areas. Darius has to admit that there’s a real temptation to try and make conversation with the husky, maybe rile him up a bit. 

But then, it would sort of ruin the show. The tables aren’t exactly light, so getting to see and hear the dog in action, all grunting and hefting them up, muscles contained in his all too tight shirt- the red one, his favorite, Darius recalls. And when Spence sets it down, bent over just a second to show off that amazing ass wrapped up tight in his jeans-

Darius takes a deep breath, pausing for just a moment to readjust himself. He really didn’t need to show off his hard on to Spencer right now. 

The cafe itself is really nice. Small, sort of hidden in plain sight, Darius might say. Considering how close it is to the campus, he’s a bit surprised that not more people are here. But at the same time he figured there was probably a more popular coffee chain within the area as well. The place has a lot of charm though. Cozy and peaceful. If Eric wasn’t up for repaying him with a dick pic maybe he’d be up for a lunch meet up here. 

“Spacing out already?” Spencer asks, just behind him.

“I was just pausing for a second to take the place in.” Darius says cooly. “It’s nice, I’m surprised I’ve never heard about it.”

“It’s pretty tucked away, I guess. They got damn good food and coffee here though.” Spencer says. “More people ought to come here, honestly.”

“Hmm, is that why you wanted the event here?” Darius asks. 

“I happen to be on pretty good terms with the owner, so it was a lot easier for me to get the ok from him to host an event here.” Spencer says. “And if that happens to draw more business to them, then all the better.”

“Haha, fair enough.” Darius says, before moving to grab a few chairs before Spencer can get back to chewing him out. 

Setting out the chairs devolve into a bit of a competition. Started by the husky, if he may add. Spencer just had to grab two chairs when he got one. Then of course the lion had to grab three the next go. And when Spence grabbed four . . .

They’re about halfway done before the lion notices something out of the corner of his eye. Two girls, off to the side, very unsubtly staring. Not at him though, at Spencer. The dog notices too after a while, and they devolve into giggling before waving to him. The poor, naive husky waves back. Darius has to let out a sigh at just how dense the damn dog was. 

No, maybe he just wants to be polite. Still, waving back will only mean . . . 

Ahh, there it is. At the slightest acknowledgment, they make their way to the husky, starting to chat with him. Darius shakes his head, moving more to grab tables. Better him than the lion himself, Darius thinks as he gets a move on with the tables. 

The conversation goes on for quite a bit, though Spencer doesn’t look particularly uncomfortable.

_Maybe he likes the attention_. Darius muses to himself. He pulls out the sheet again, double checking he has the right number of chairs and tables set out. To his surprise, he’s actually nearly done. 

It only takes one more trip to the dwindling stack of chairs before he’s officially finished with the task, frankly earlier than he thought. Though Spencer had been helping of course. Speaking of which . . .

 _Wow they’re still talking._ Flirting more like it, really, if the batting eyelashes and playful touching is any sort of indication. Too bad it wouldn’t go anywhere. At this point he feels sort of bad for the two of them, he’s really talked up a storm at this point. 

It’s about five minutes before the two strangers finally take their leave, the moment they turned to leave Spencer deflating a bit. A sigh of relief maybe. Or who knows, maybe he really did like the attention and is super disappointed they’re leaving. 

It’s also only when Spencer turns to look at him that he realizes he’s been staring. “What.” Spencer asks annoyedly. 

Darius puts on his smarmiest grin. “Aww, what happened to your little fan club?”

Spencer goes beet red, sputtering before recomposing yourself. “They were just having a nice, normal conversation with me. Not everyone is like you Darius. Speaking of which, why are you just standing around again? If you’re not gonna help, feel free to-”

“I’m done.” Darius says with a smirk. “It shouldn't be that much of a surprise really, considering just _how long_ you were talking with ‘em.” 

The lion can barely hold back his laughter as Spencer is left absolutely fuming.

“I . . . you’re right. I’m sorry for slacking off and leaving all the work to you.” Spencer says, ears pinned back, looking thoroughly ashamed of himself. Darius can’t help but feel a bit bad. 

“Ahh don’t worry about it. Though if you do want to make it up to me-”

“Ugh.” Spencer lets out a disgusted grunt before turning away.

“Wait, wait, you gotta tell me how we’re setting the tables!”

The two of them work for a solid hour before they get a break, probably more because Spencer wanted to work the lion as much as he could as some petty revenge. 

But soon enough everything seems to be done. The tables are set, the DJ equipment is hauled up to the stage to be set up by someone more technically able, and the area is even sweeped up for extra measure. 

“Hmm, so now we gotta set up some cones to redirect traffic, and then . . .” Darius mutters to himself as he reads Spencer’s to-do list. Something the husky himself had basically memorized anyway. 

“Hey, Darius.”

“Hm?” He turns towards Spencer, walking over him with two drinks in his hands. “Aww, is that for me?”

“Well you’ve been working hard. Loath as I am to admit it, you helped out a lot.” He says, before handing Darius the glass. If the lion was being entirely honest, there was a small chance in his mind that Spencer would just drink both of them right in front of the parched man. “It’s raspberry tea.”

“Ohh, thank you.” Darius says, before downing about half of it. “Ahh, nothing like a cold drink after some good hard work.”

“Mm.” Spencers hums affirmatively. “Sorry again . . . for slacking off earlier.”

“Huh? Oh god, Spencer, don’t worry about it. If anything I’m shocked you talked to ‘em for so long. Unless you maybe didn’t notice . . .?”

“Trust me, I did.” Spencer says with a groan. “Whenever girls talk to me, they only got one thing on their mind.”

“Hah! Sucks for them. Though I also can’t blame ‘em for shooting their shot. You’re hot after all.”

“Ugh.”

“What? It was a compliment.” Darius says, chuckling. 

“Well I’d appreciate it if you kept those sort of “compliments” to yourself.” Spencer says. 

“Alright, alright.” Darius says, taking another sip of his drink. On some level, he’s a bit surprised. This has to be the longest they’ve talked without Spencer walking away angry, or just shutting Darius off entirely. Weird as it is to say, he’s almost afraid to talk and ruin the moment. “You put a lot of work into organizing this. Looks nice.” 

“Oh, thanks.” Spencer says, the sound of his tail wagging faint, but still audible to the lion. 

“I dunno how you do it all. School, tennis, work, and now this.”

“Pfft, it’s not like I’m doing this every week or anything.” Spencer says, leaning back. “My schedule always ends up messier than I want it to be. Work too has been pretty hard, the night shifts still take some getting used to.”

“Ahh, night shifts huh? Sorry to hear that, you better not be losing any sleep over it though.”

“I’m not, I’m not.” Spencer reassures the lion. “I honestly can’t imagine your job is much better though. Inconsistent bursts of hours for who knows how long, doing who knows what each day.”

“It’s not as chaotic as you’re making it out to be.” Darius says with a smile, leaning just an inch closer. “Or, well, as I might’ve made it out to be, heh. I only get called in suddenly if they need it shot faster or if the usual schedule falls through for some reason. And I’ll know what I’ll be doing well before going in.”

“Still, I’d hate it if my job was so easily inconsistent. You don’t even know how long a single shoot will take. How the hell are you supposed to plan around that?” He asks with a frustrated huff.

“Mm, well assume it’ll take all day I guess. Though I don’t make my plans as rigidly as you, I guess.”

“Hmph, they’re not rigid, they’re just what a schedule is.”

“I suppose I can’t argue too much with that.” Darius says, watching as the place slowly fills up. Attendees for the event, he figures. “You’ve been taking care of yourself right? Been giving yourself time to have fun and all that?”

“Well- what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that I remember getting you to let loose and have fun was like pulling teeth.” Darius says with a chuckle. 

_Ah, shit. That was the wrong thing to say._ He curses himself out as he glances over to Darius. The husky is stiffened up, somehow more distant than before. 

“I’ve been taking care of myself just fine on my own.” Spencer says. 

“Spence . . .” The words catch in his throat as Spencer gets up, whatever moment they were sharing, gone. 

“Event is gonna start soon, we should finish setting up.” Spencer says, before walking away. With a frustrated huff, Darius gets up as well. 

The only conversation between the two is just Darius asking for instructions and clarifications. As well as the occasional innuendo, which is received poorly by the husky, to say the least. 

“So that was the lights, the drink tables . . . hm, we’re done, right?” Darius asks, getting an affirmative nod from Spencer. “We cut it surprisingly close.” 

“We only had two people after all, I figured it would take about this long.”

“Still think you could’ve turned away my help?”

“I would’ve managed. Somehow.” Spencer says with a disgruntled “harumph”. 

“Hah, well you’re welcome for saving you the hassle of figuring out a way to manage, somehow.” Darius says. “Gotta say though, surprised our team has such a fancy event. I mean- wait a minute.”

“What is it?” Spencer asks, inquisitively. 

“This event is for the tennis team, but the rest of the guys couldn’t make it! Chester and Dozer said they’d be busy all day, Eric had some sort of emergency, and Coach needs to talk with his publisher I guess-”

“What are you talking about?” Spencer asks, as if he grew a third leg.

“Well, I mean it would be weird if only two people from the team show up today, right?”

“It would be . . . but they’re all showing up.” Spencer says. “Chester and Dozer had work in the morning, but they both confirmed they’d be here. Same with Coach Grifter, and Eric said he’d be able to make it too. Albeit possibly late.”

“Oh . . .” Darius says, embarrassed a bit by his outburst. “Wait, now that I think of it . . . how come you never invited me to the event?”

“Eric told you about it, didn’t he?” Spencer says coyly, a smarmy smirk painted across his muzzle. 

The event ramps up to full swing. Nothing crazy like a rave or anything, which is good for Darius. He liked to party as much as the next guy, but frankly he also enjoyed hearing things. Sure he enjoyed turning the music up, but when it feels like it’s gonna rupture your heart, it’s a bit much. 

The other downside of it not being a rave though is the lack of shirtless dudes. And the occasional pantsless dude. There’s not a lot to go after either. No one really piqued his interest enough, or the ones that did were obviously straight or taken. 

It’s just then that his eyes catch two fine hunks he’d like to sink his teeth into. 

“Dozer, Chester! Glad to see you guys made it.” He says, his best charming smile on his muzzle. If he played his cards right, he could bag himself a pretty damn memorable threesome. 

“Honestly I thought for sure we’d be late!” Chester says. “I had to stay late cleaning up a party after the manager decided to bounce.”

“Damn, that sucks, well if you two wanna maybe blow off some steam later . . .”

“I think we’ll be fine doing that by ourselves, Darius.” Dozer says, not even attempting subtlety. “But thanks for the offer.”

“Haha, fair enough.”Darius says, though he can’t possibly leave it there. Chester’s just too damn easy to fluster. “I also noticed you said “we”, Chester. Dozer maybe give you a ride?”

“W-Well, it was convenient!” Chester quickly interjects, before Dozer can make another quip. “Besides, we’re doubles partners! Only natural we go to this event together.”

“Well you two do go _very_ well together, you guys being such _big_ powerhouses.” Darius teases. 

“Haha, it does make overpowering our opponents much easier. I just gotta make sure this guy stays level headed.”

“C’mon Dozer, I already heard enough about that from Coach.” Chester says, looking like a puppy who just got kicked. 

“Aww, sorry, sorry. Don’t worry, it’s just something we’ll work on.”

“If anyone can keep you level headed, it’s probably the most zen person on the team.” Darius says. “As much as I hate to admit it, I’d probably just _rile_ you up.” 

Chester lets out a snorting laugh at that. The two then excuse themselves to talk with some other people, maybe get a few drinks. It worked for Darius as well. Had they been strangers, he would’ve cut his losses a lot sooner. _Always fun to get a few reactions out of Chester though._

Darius wanders around the party, half looking for potential hook ups, half looking for either Coach Grifter or Eric. Maybe they’d come together too, he muses. There’s no real basis for him to think they’re a thing. But Eric is obviously interested in the bear, enough at least to be speaking with him outside of class and practice. 

“-White Thunder!” 

The lion turns his head curiously at the . . . strange outburst. It doesn’t take long for him to lock onto the person in question, talking it up with Spencer of all people. Though . . . he looks uncomfortable.   
A lot more so than with the girls from earlier. 

Without much thought, he starts moving towards them, walking as fast as he can without breaking out into a jog. “C’mon, I’d recognize you anywhere! You got such blue eyes-”

“Hey, dude!” He calls out to Spencer, taking care to not use his name. The husky turns towards him suddenly. “Bro, Hal needs to talk with you asap, c’mon.”

“R-Right.” Spencer says, letting the lion go as far as grab his wrist before hurriedly pulling them through the crowd, away from the stranger. “What does Hal need?”

“Oh you know, just . . .” Darius trails off as he glances behind them, confirming the guy wasn’t following them or anything. “Uh, cups. They’re running out of plastic cups.”

“Right . . .”

Darius brings them out of the crowd- past Hal ironically enough, making their way into the cafe. 

“Will Hal mind us being in the kitchen?” Darius asks.

“No, I don’t think so.” The husky says, his voice shockingly quiet. 

The kitchen of the cafe is surprisingly stocked. It has an oven, burners, a grill- duh, they don’t just make coffee here.

“So . . . Hal didn’t need more cups.” Darius says, letting go of Spencer’s wrist. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding it still. “At least I hope he doesn’t.” 

“They got extra stocked under the drink table.” Spencer says, taking in a deep breath. “Uh . . . thanks though.”

“Don’t mention it.” Darius says. 

. . . . In this sort of situation, the lion should probably leave. Give the dog whatever time he needed alone, and all that. But the curiosity is burning his insides up. Who was that guy? Why did Spencer look so damn distressed? Would it be weird to hug him to try and cheer him up? The fuck is _White Thunder_?

“. . . You can go ahead and ask it.” Spencer says, annoyed. 

“You’ll get mad if I do.” Darius says plainly. Spencer only huffs in response, but it’s enough to tell the lion that he’s right. “. . . You ok?”

“Yeah . . . yeah of course I’m ok. He’s just some stranger, I don’t know what he was even talking about honestly.” Spencer says, lying through his teeth. His tail even starts wagging out of nervousness. 

“Alright. Thought he was some stalker or a clingy ex or something.”

Spencer snorts at that. “You should know better than anyone I think that I don’t have any exes. Other than . . .”

“Ah . . .” Darius says, leaning back on some random counter. That struck a lot deeper than he expected. “Well . . . I’m guessing you’ll want some time alone?”

“Just a bit. Crowd was a bit much anyway.”

“Anyone I can send back here to you?”

“No. I’ll be fine by myself.”

“Hmm . . .” Darius hums thoughtfully. “Don’t suppose you’ll mind my company will you? I was getting sick of the crowd too. Too many people desperately throwing themselves at me.”

“Ugh.” Spencer groans. “Stay if you want. I don’t really care.”

“Good. I’ll be staying then.” Darius says. 

The two hang around in the kitchen in relative silence. They’re both on their phones really. Spencer doing . . . whatever it is the dog does on his phone, and Darius of course browsing through grindr. To his surprise, he sees the stranger pop up. The lion blocks him without a second thought before trying to scout out any other potential hook ups. 

“Darius, we should probably rejoin the event soon. I think Coach and Eric are here.”

“Alright.” The lion says, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He’s tempted to ask if the husky is ok, but he wouldn’t have suggested leaving if he wasn’t up for it. 

“We’ll also be going up and addressing the crowd in between the DJ sets. Thanking everyone for coming and all that.” Spencer says. “And then after we’ll be helping Hal clean up and-”

“Whoah, wait a second! I agreed to help with set up, not taking it all down.” Darius gripes. 

“Dozer and Chester need to leave after our address, and presumably Coach will be busy as well. Besides, you came for set up, might as well stay for clean up.” Spencer says matter of factly, already walking out of the kitchen. “Hal will make you Dinner, on the house.”

“Tch, well then I’m doubling my repayment. One dick pic from each of you.”  
Spencer actually stops to glare back at him, and Darius can’t help but laugh at his infuriated expression. 

“I’ll buy you lunch sometime. If you insist on a picture then here, go ahead and take one.” Spencer says, before promptly flipping him the bird. 

Probably to his surprise, the lion does pull out his phone and take a picture of Spencer. “What? I needed a profile pic for you anyway.” Darius teases with a chuckle. The husky only lets out a frustrated sigh before turning around again, leading them both back into the crowd.


	4. Tryst at the Tennis Court

There were plenty of benefits for living near campus. Spending less on gas, having a better chance at keeping up a perfect attendance record for his classes, a relatively safe neighborhood being nestled right in a college town. 

But for Spencer, one of the best advantages was how easily he could slip off to the tennis courts. Be it for extra training, to let off some steam, or any other reason he could have to be there. 

It was a good day for it too. A cool breeze in the air, the sun low in the sky and just barely tinting the world orange, and a restless demeanor that needed to let off some excess energy before he went into work today. 

“Hm?” His ears picked up the faint sound of a tennis ball hitting the court. It wasn’t all too unusual for someone else to be using the court every now and then. They only had a small tennis team, tennis club really. But it’s not like the courts were mandated for students only, other than strictly on paper. 

As he approaches the courts, however, he can’t hold back to grimace as he realizes exactly who’s there. 

Darius, in his usual tank top and shorts combo, his way too expensive racket in hand, was practicing serves it seemed. The little bucket of balls proved as much, as well as the fact he was clearly alone, and practicing serves. 

He considered going back home. He could do plenty of other things to work out this strange, bubbling anxiety. But he balked even more at the thought of letting Darius affect any decision he made and letting the lion spoil his day further. 

Plus, well, there was the curious fact that he was here in the first place. Darius certainly wasn’t a slouch, or particularly lazy when it came to tennis. But he never struck Spencer as the type to be enthusiastic about it either. No, the only things the lion cared about was himself, fucking, and being a prick. 

_And piano._ Spencer thinks to himself, rather reflexively. He nearly snarled at the memory of Darius so calmly and peacefully sitting at the piano bench. He doesn’t care about it. He only did it to show off, because he could. _Because he wanted to get into my fucking pants._

He resolves himself as he steps into the court, the lion immediately noting his presence. His face almost appeared stoic the split second before he had realized someone else was here. And now that Darius is looking at him, the usual cocky smirk marred his face. 

“Fancy seeing you here, Spence.” Darius says, with an air of casualness that grinded on the dog’s nerves. 

“I could be saying the same to you.” He says curtly before taking up the court next to Darius. Not that he had a choice. There were only three courts, and the lion was in the middle.

“Ehh, well Eric was busy today, something about helping out a friend, and none of my fuck buddies seemed up for anything. So . . . here I am.”

“Just on a whim decided to practice your serves, huh?” He asks, ready to gather some balls and run through a few drills himself. 

“Well, yeah.” Darius says, for a second making a . . . face. Spencer pauses, also his tail whipping around, nearly in a frenzy. 

“Hmmmm.” Spencer hums thoughtfully as he approaches Darius. “And that was really it?”

“I mean, not like I got anything better to do.”

“Other than swim. Or ogle random guys at the gym. Or jerk off. Or-”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Darius says with a small huff, clearly annoyed. His tail wags a bit at the site of the uncharacteristically flustered lion. 

_Not the only time you saw him flustered._ His mood sours a bit at the thought. 

“Look, I guess I got a bit . . . annoyed at practice.” Darius admits, grabbing a ball and tossing it into the air. He winds back his serve before slamming it into the ball, sending it over to the other side of the court easily, a standard serve all things considered. But with the way he angled his racket . . . “Ugh. I’ve been trying to get this kick serve down, but I don’t get it. Eric seems to have a handle on it, though when he tries to explain it, I just get fucking lost.”

“Hm, I can believe that. Eric can be a bit . . . abstract.” He says, getting a laugh from Darius. His tail wags at the sound reflexively. 

“Well, there you have it. I’m just getting some extra practice in.”

“To impress Eric with?”

“Does that bother you?” Darius asks with a stupid smirk. 

“Hmph. Knowing you, you just thought it was cool as hell and you just wanna try it for yourself.” Spencer deduces, getting a “tsk” from Darius, who had apparently been pegged correctly. Spencer can’t help but chuckle to himself. The actual reason was surprisingly in character for the impulsive lion. 

“Nothing wrong with a little practice.” Darius says, which isn’t something he’d argue with. “You here to practice too, I assume?”

“Yeah, just a bit.” He says. It isn’t fully the truth, but it certainly isn’t a lie. Still, that doesn’t stop Darius from giving him an odd, knowing look. But if he knows something, he doesn’t press the issue. That only irks Spencer more somehow. “Well, while I’m here, show me your kick serve.”

Darius looks at him questioning. “You sure?” a simple question. Just to ask if he wants to take time out of his own practice to help him. But nothing seems simple with Darius. A mountain of subtext went unheard in those two simple words, but it doesn’t fail to pass between either of them. 

“Just hurry up before I change my mind.” He answers. Darius shrugs, but gets into position anyway, a ball in his hand. “Wait.”

He steps closer, hands on Darius to guide him into a slightly better stance, readjusting his feet and bringing his back up. He’s close behind him, the scent of his shampoo faint on his nose. 

Predictably, Darius pushes his rear back into his crotch, smiling back at him deviously. He responds in turn by roughly thrusting into the rear, getting a cute little yelp from the lion. Spencer steps back, his own smirk on his muzzle. 

“Don’t forget to angle your racket, not too much though.” Spencer says as Darius recomposes himself, throwing up the ball before hitting it. Spencer already knows that it’s not correct though. The ball bounces off the ground, only a slight change in trajectory. It still made it into the court, at least. 

“Ugh, I’m getting nowhere with this fast.” Darius mutters as he picks up another ball. 

“You’ll get it with time. This is a pretty hard one after all.” Spencer says, falling into his usual “captain” mode. “Try and remember to face your body correctly.”

“Face my body?” Darius asks, looking back at him puzzled. 

“Oh, uh . . .” He grabs his own racket and a ball. “Watch me.”

“Gladly.” 

“Shut it.” He shoots back as he gets in position. “Look how I’m facing myself more parallel to the net than usual.” He brings his arm back, before slowly mimicking how he would serve. “And see how I’m leading the racket. Edge first. Because of how I’m faced, when I hit the ball, it’ll add spin.” He tosses up the ball before hitting it, the ball curving into the air, seemingly about to be out of bounds before landing just inside the line. 

“Damn. That’s as good as when Coach did it.”

“That’s because he drilled it into my head pretty early on too. He might look like a powerhouse player like Dozer or Chester, but he’s got plenty of tricks in the bag. Always good to have more options.” 

“Show it to me one more time.” Darius says, almost excitedly. 

“No.”

“Wha- c’mon, captain!” He says, pouting. Pulling out the captain card too, shameless. 

Spencer rolls his eyes. “I want you to run through the serve a couple more times. I’ll correct you where I can. For now just focus on the serve. Once you get the hang of adding the spin, then we can move on to adding more spin.”

“Hmph, fine.” He complains, but gets into position once more. He looks rather serious, trying to take into account just what he had said. He throws it in the air, and strikes the ball. No luck still, but he could tell he was getting better. 

Over the next few minutes, Spencer watches Darius from various angles, ignoring the lion’s annoying comments and giving advice where he can. 

“Remember to stay sideways.” “Lead with the edge.” “The top of your racket.”

For the most part though, Spencer’s surprised to find Darius actually heeding his words. Well, trying to. Past the usual lewd remarks, he seems to be putting in genuine effort. It shouldn’t be all that surprising to Spencer. It’s not like Darius had joined the tennis team on a whim. Well, no he most likely had. But he wasn’t just there to joke around. 

The husky lets out a hum at a particularly good serve. The moment it impacted the racket, it had sounded a little different, and it traveled just a bit slower. And indeed as it arks through the air, it curves ever so slightly. 

“Wait, did you see that?” Darius asks, turning back to Spencer excitedly. 

“Congratulations, that was it.” Spencer says, smiling as Darius celebrates, pumping his fists into the air.

“Well, I suppose I should thank you for your help.” Darius says, with a waggle of his eyebrows. 

“How was that one even an innuendo?” 

“It was a lead up to one.” Darius says in a huff, whatever momentum he had lost. “Anyway, uh, sorry for taking up your time. Any way I could help you practice?”

“And how would you help me practice, exactly?” Spencer asks, warily. 

“I dunno, play a game with you? Rally some?” Darius responds. He had been prepared for a more inappropriate answer honestly. 

“Hmm, don’t know if a match with you would be much practice for me.” 

“Well now it just sounds like you’re afraid I’ll just trounce you. Use the move you helped me with to mop the floor with you.” 

“I think we both know who’d be on the floor by the end of the match.” Spencer shoots back. He mentally kicks himself for the unintended innuendo. 

“Hehe, we’ll see about that.” Darius says, moving to clear out the court of the excess balls for their impromptu practice match. 

The inevitable outcome of course comes to pass, with Darius panting, bent over, hands on his knees. It hadn’t even been a close game. In part because Darius had been insistent on using his newfound serve, that he had missed two out of the three times he used it. And more in how Spencer had him running around on the court. 

“I . . . I almost had you a couple times.” Darius says as he catches his breath. 

“Sorry, were we not playing the same game?” Spencer asks with a smirk, patting Darius on the back. “C’mon, let’s sit down.”

“Don’t you still wanna practice some more?”

“No, I’m good.” Spencer says. He hesitates for a moment. “I . . . worked out whatever weird funk I was in.”

“Ah, that’s good.” Darius says. Again, he doesn’t press exactly what he meant. Though, calmed down a bit, he can appreciate it. They take a seat on the bench next to the court, Darius taking a well needed drink of water. He offers some to Spencer once he’s done with it, but the husky just waves him off.

“You got any other plans for the night?” Darius asks. 

“Just work.”

“Oh right, you mentioned something before about night shifts. Now that I think about it, is it a new job or something? Don’t remember you working nights before.” Darius says. It’s a bit weird, hearing him even hint about how they had history. Most of the time, the both of them seemed content forgetting everything that happened. Everything but the animosity. 

“Yeah, it pays well though. Just have to adjust my sleep schedule a bit.” He answers. “What about you? How’s work been?”

“Ehh, same old same old. I actually showed Eric around the studio actually.”

That leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. “You and him seem to be pretty close lately.”

“He’s a pretty interesting guy.” Darius says. “Heh, he actually said the weirdest thing not too long ago.”

“Hm?”

“Ah, well . . .” Darius hesitates. Deciding whether or not to tell him, clearly. “I guess you already know about it. You remember a little while back when he was pretty pissed off at me, right?”

“Yeah.” He remembered it pretty clearly, Eric didn’t get angry often, so it had been pretty surprising. “We hung out that day, but he didn’t exactly go into specifics.” It still burned him deep down. Darius had hurt Eric just like he had hurt him. So why were they still even friends?

“Ahhh, well I suppose I can fill you in.” Darius says, voice a bit reserved. As if he knew the dog was seething underneath his calm demeanor. “We had met up the night before at his place. It doesn’t really matter what we were doing, I guess, just that I had other plans and I had to go. Before I left, though, I told him I wasn’t meeting up with anyone for a hookup.”

Spencer could see where this was going. “But then the next day, just before practice, he overheard me talking to Chester . . .”

“About your hook up, right? Specifically the one you had the night before.”

“Yup.” He says, extra emphasis on the p. “He was pretty fucking steamed. I got worried, not gonna lie. So I met him at his place. And I, uh, might’ve gotten defensive and told him he shouldn’t care about if I’m sleeping with someone else. And then he started shouting at me.”

Spencer whistled at that, he couldn’t remember the last time he got angry enough to shout. 

“Yeah, I know. I was pretty shocked too. But he said he wasn’t angry that I hooked up, just that I . . . lied, I guess.” Darius says, slumped back in his chair. 

“I can get that.” Spencer says, more thinking out loud. “From his perspective, he’s not really sure what you want. To be friends? Get into his pants? Both?” Darius points at that last one, earning a smack from Spencer. “Point is, it’s . . . creepy.”

“Creepy?” Darius asks, turning to him, clearly confused.

“Yeah. I mean, why would you lie about something like that? We know what you’re like.” He says. “Lying to him about that . . . well it makes you think about what else you might be lying about. If it’s all just one big act to get into your pants. And you feel . . . used. And gross. And dumb.” He’s getting too personal. He needs to dial it back. 

“I- It’s not like it’s all been some elaborate act.” Darius says, almost indignantly. “I just- I like hanging out with him. And I wanna get into his pants! They’re not mutually exclusive.”

“But then why’d you lie to him?”

Darius doesn’t say anything. And Spencer’s content to let the conversation die. Walk off back home quietly before getting ready for work. But Darius sits up. “I . . . he was making a face.”

“A face?”

“I don’t know. I just know he was bothered by it. By me sleeping around.” He says, almost too quiet to hear. “I dunno, it bothered me. That I . . . That me doing that irked him so much.”

. . . He wasn’t lying, that much Spencer could tell for sure. He wasn’t sure really what to make of it but . . . he wasn’t lying at least. The sun hangs low in the sky, turning everything a vibrant, yet somehow somber orange. 

“Shit.” Spencer says, checking his phone.

“Something wrong?”

“Lost track of time, should’ve probably started walking back by now.”

“Fuck, sorry. You need a ride?” Darius asks, looking at him oddly guiltily. 

“No, I’m ok, thanks.”

“No, c’mon, I was the one that kept you here longer anyway. Plus it’ll be dark soon and you have work. Lemme give you a ride, please?”

“. . . Alright.” He says, not really wanting to rush home and still be late for work. “I swear to god though if you say one word about-”

“Oh that not-so-little problem that pops up?” Darius teases, earning him a smack. He’s back to normal it seems. 

The ride back is uneventful. The wind feels good in his fur, and Darius’s body feels good against his, even if he still had that, ahem, not-so-little problem as Darius had put it. Much to his surprise though, Darius doesn’t mention it at all once they get back to his place. 

He jumps off the bike, returning the helmet to Darius. 

“Thanks for the ride, Darius.”

“Always happy to give you a ride.” Darius quips, to which the husky responds by flipping him off. 

He turns around, ready to head up to his apartment.

“Hey, wait.” Darius calls out. Spencer turns back. “Is . . . when Isaac had gone on that rant . . . and you sorta ghosted me. Did you think all that too?” the lion asks. He has a strange, pensive . . . sad look on his face. It’s almost unreadable, but to Spencer definitely some sort of sad. 

“Did you think I was just . . . acting the entire time? To get in your pants?”

“Were you not?” Spencer shoots back. He balks a bit.

“I mean, sure I wanted in your pants. You’re hot.” Darius says, shamelessly. “But . . . I really liked . . . liked being with you.”

 _I did too._ “I . . . I know, Darius. That it wasn’t all a lie. I know that now at least. But in a lot of ways you . . . still led me on.”

“You broke my heart.” He says. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. But it was out there now.

“I . . . I’m sorry.” Darius says. 

He shrugs. “I’ll get over it. Maybe . . . who knows. Maybe we can be friends again.” 

Darius makes a face at him. As if he thought he was lying. “Maybe.” he says, though it’s hollow. “Hope work goes well.”

“Have a safe drive.” Spencer says, watching Darius strap on his helmet again before driving off.


	5. Lunch Date With Eric

Spencer hadn’t meant to end up in this scenario.

“So . . . how was class?” Darius asks, awkwardly. 

“It was fine.” Spencer responds curtly. He returns to the lunch tray set out in front of him, hoping that he could eat it fast and just leave. Without eating it so fast that Eric notices what’s up.

“Ah, that’s . . . good.” Darius says. _Dear lord, someone shoot me._

It had been entirely the husky’s own doing. It had started off with him asking Eric what his plans were for the day. He mentioned lunch with the horny lion. He made a jab about Darius not inviting him, which led to Eric insisting that he wouldn’t mind if he came, before then insisting that he actually come join them for lunch. 

Spencer couldn’t very well turn down a chance to hang out with his best friend. Even more so when his intentions- flawed as they were- were so genuinely kind. Eric, and probably the rest of the team for that matter, saw that _something_ was up between Darius and himself. Eric just wanted to try and fix that, starting off by having them hang out together, apparently. 

“To be honest, I’ve never been to the cafeteria at school all too often.” Darius says, trying to make more small talk. 

“It’s pretty nice. Good options, close by, affordable prices for students- well depending on which place you buy from.” Eric says.

“Fair enough, I guess it’s just that I usually try and get away from campus as much as possible.” Darius says with a chuckle.

“You should take some time to walk around. You’d be surprised by what you can find here.” Spencer adds. Darius gives him an almost appraising look for a second. Not the “appraising” as in ogling kind, he’s more used to those sadly. Maybe the lion was trying to decipher whether what Spencer had said was a jab or not. 

“Maybe you could give me a tour sometime.” Darius flirts. Spencer only shoots him a glare in response, getting a pout from the lion. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually just walked around campus. It’s just mainly classrooms right?”

“Yeah, but occasionally you find a nice area to hang out in, or maybe a service you didn’t know was there.” Spencer says.

“Oh like the cafe, sorta.” Darius says. “Mm, wait, is that still on campus?”

“It’s skirting the edge of it I think.” Spencer says. 

“Hey, maybe we could all take a campus tour or something.” Eric suggests. Spencer dreads the idea of being on a tour for who knows how long with Darius. 

“Do they even let students go on those? Maybe freshmen, sure, but I mean . . .”

“I’m sure that sort of tour wouldn’t get into the interesting spots either.” Spencer says. He feels a bit bad with how disappointed Eric looks. “I guess nothing’s stopping us from just exploring ourselves.”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

Lunch passes by without any major hitches, much to Spencer’s luck. It’s only the usual amount of flirting and excess touching from the lion, directed more towards Eric than to him. Though Spencer can’t help but feel like it’s almost done specifically to infuriate him. 

“Thanks for the lunch Eric. Hmm, I guess I should probably head home soon.” Darius says.

“Same for me. I should get some homework done before work tonight.”

“Ahh, before you go, I wanted to ask you two something.” Eric says, his tone more serious than usual. 

“Hm? Everything ok?” Spencer asks.

“Yeah, everything’s ok with me, I’m just . . . a bit worried about Coach.” Eric says. 

Darius hums thoughtfully. “Can’t say I haven’t thought about it. It’s rare that he misses practice. And class too.” Darius says. 

“True. I’d think he’d send out an email or something.” Spencer says. “If you want to check up on him Eric, I could take you to his house.”

“Really?”

“You know where Coach lives?” Darius asks. 

“I’ve run a few errands for him now and then as captain.” Spencer explains.

“I-If you wouldn’t mind . . .” Eric trails off. Spencer only nods.

“C’mon, we’ll take my car.”

Coach Grifter’s house is just as Spencer remembers. Wholly non-distinct within the suburbs it lies in, with a trimmed lawn and nearly immaculate front. 

“Coach is inside.” Spencer says, parking right in front of the house. 

“How can you be so sure?” Darius asks, more curiously than contrarian. 

“You’ll just have to trust me on that one.” Spencer says. “Eric, you wanna be the one to check up on him? If we all go in at once that might upset him.”

“A-Alright.” Eric says, unbuckling his seat belt before stepping out of the car. 

Spencer can almost hear the bubbling energy just under the lion’s calm facade as he fidgets in his seat. To his surprise though, Darius waits patiently as Eric slowly makes his way towards the house, knocking on the door and waiting, before turning the knob and stepping inside. 

“Alright, what’s the deal.” Darius finally asks. “You’re being kinda cryptic about all this.”

Spencer lets out a sigh. He’s not sure he should even be divulging details like this. But Darius had some right to know, he supposes, and if need be he can keep his mouth shut. 

“Coach is probably having a depressive episode.” Spencer explains. Darius looks shocked for a second, but to his credit doesn’t say anything along the lines of “No way! He always looks so happy though!”

“I’m not sure if it’s clinical or anything, but I know it just hits him sometimes. He can usually deal with it though, I’ve only ever seen it get this bad one other time to be honest.” Spencer says. 

“And that was the errand you did for him before?”

“Sort of. I really did have to get the uniforms picked up. But that was more of an excuse to check up and see why he’d been missing for a few days.” Spencer says.

“Damn. I had no idea . . .” Darius says thoughtfully. “Will he be ok?”

Spencer shrugs at that. “He was ok last time. And I think having Eric visit and check up on him will help. But I guess time will only tell.”

Darius nods. “Hope he can manage through it fast.”

“Me too . . .” Spencer mumbles. “Coach Grifter has . . . really helped me a lot these past few years.”

“With your tennis career?”

“And more. He’s pointed out student resources to me, helped me figure out if I wanted to pursue going pro and just what that would mean, and . . . well he’s just supported me through a lot by this point.”

“Mmm.” Darius hums thoughtfully. 

It’s about five minutes before Eric steps back outside, jogging back to the car hurriedly. 

“H-Hey guys, sorry for the wait.” Eric says.

“No problem, how was the big guy?” Darius asks. 

“Uhh, I mean he’s ok. I’m probably gonna stay for the rest of the day and . . . help him out with stuff.” Eric says. 

“Are you sure? Will you be able to get home on your own from here?” Spencer asks. 

“Oh I’ll be fine. There should be a bus stop in the area if anything.” Eric says with a smile. “Alright, gonna go back in, just wanted to let you guys know so you wouldn’t be waiting too long!”

“W- and he’s gone.” Spencer says, letting out a small huff. 

“Hmm, is it really ok if we don’t go in as well?” Darius asks. 

“Best not to overwhelm Coach I think.” Spencer says. Though, who knows, maybe it would be better if they all went in. “I should message Eric, let him know to text me if he needs anything tonight.”

“Hmm, think he’ll stay the night?” Darius asks, his tone . . . gossipy. 

“Not sure. He might, just to keep an eye out on Coach. Though whether he does or not shouldn’t really matter to either of us.” Spencer says sharply. “He’s an adult after all.”

“Haha, certainly won’t argue with that.” Darius says. 

Spencer pulls out his phone, unlocking it before pulling up his text messages. It’s only when his eyes glance over at the date and time though that his stomach drops. “Shit . . .”

“Something wrong?” Darius asks. Spencer doesn’t respond though, mind running through ways to possibly get out of work tonight. If anyone can cover his shift, if he can arrive later maybe, or if he could leave in case Eric texted, say it was an emergency- “Spence, you ok?”

“I- I forgot I had a shift tonight.” Spencer says, rubbing his head. “Uhh, damn it, how could I forget.”

“Oh, are you late for it or something?”

“No, no, it’s just . . .” _I won’t be able to be there if Eric needs something._

Darius nods in understanding, even though the words are completely left unsaid. Spencer lets out a sigh. The solution to him now is glaringly obvious. If he can’t help himself, he can just ask Darius to cover for him. 

He swallows his pride, before turning to look Darius in the eye. 

“I’m free tonight, I’m pretty sure.” Darius says, before Spencer can even say anything. “If he needs anything just tell him to text me tonight.”

“. . . I- Are you sure?”

“Yeah, ‘course I am.” Darius answers plainly. “We’re friends after all.”

“Right . . .” Spencer says. Just for a moment he’s confused if the lion meant the two of them, or him and Eric. “Thank you . . .”

“Don’t mention it.” Darius says, leaning back in his seat, looking out the window, tail swishing about as if he’s rather pleased with himself. 

“Your bike is at campus, right?” Spencer asks after putting his phone away, message sent. 

“Mhm.”

“Let’s head back then.” Spencer says, checking his mirrors and blind spot before pulling out into the street. 

“I’m kinda surprised that of all the people to go for, Eric chose Coach Grifter.” Darius says. “I mean don’t get me wrong, he’s a damn fine man. But I guess I never thought he’d be ‘hot for teacher’.”

“Ugh.” Spencer replies. “I’m pretty sure the teacher aspect isn’t what’s doing it for Eric.” At least Spencer hopes not. 

Spencer smirks. “Could it be you were the one who was ‘hot for teacher’? Maybe jealous Eric is beating you to it.”

“Haha! Nah, just making idle conversation.” Darius says. “Though I gotta say . . .”

Darius trails off, leaving it at that. 

“Hm? What is it?” Spencer asks, looking over to the lion. 

“Oh, uh . . . nothing.” Darius says, literally twiddling his thumbs. His tail is lashing with nervous excitement. Or maybe it’s anxious energy. 

“Ugh, I’m tempted to let the sleeping lion lie-” That gets a chortle from Darius. “-what awful thing were you going to say?”

“It wasn’t awful, I’ll have you know.” Darius says faux indignantly. “It’s just . . . personal.”

“Hmm . . .” Spencer hums thoughtfully. He doesn’t say anything though, waiting for Darius to just come out and say it. 

“Well, just . . . I dunno, you took it pretty calmly into stride. That there might be something going on between Eric and Coach.”

“Hmm, well I guess student teacher relationships are always a bit of a taboo. For good reason too.” Spencer says. “But I know Coach Grifter is a good person, and they wouldn’t keep that dynamic past the semester. That is, assuming they actually made it that far already. Eric isn’t exactly the straightforward type, unlike you.”

“Ohh? Was that a compliment?”

“A criticism towards the both of you, I’d say. Either side of the extreme has a plethora of problems.” Spencer says, getting a tut from the lion, along with an ineffective pout. 

“As sensible as ever. I meant more about your own feelings about him.” At that remark, Spencer gives him a puzzled look. “You like him, right? Or used to maybe?”

“Uh- well I mean of course I like him. He’s my best friend.” Spencer says plainly. Though of course that’s not what Darius meant. “I- well I- hm.”

“Was I off the mark?” Darius asks. 

“Well yes. I don’t like him like that. At least, I don’t think so. I used to have a bit of a crush on him, but well . . .” 

“Ah, if I’m wrong, sorry then.” Darius says. “Honestly I just figured since you get so crazy protective the moment I even get in a one foot radius of him.”

“That’s more because you’re _you._ ” Spencer says. To his surprise that gets even more raucous laughter from the lion. His traitorous tail wags along with Darius’s merriment. 

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at the student parking lot. Without any input from Darius, Spencer manages to find where he parked his bike. He always liked this one far off spot in the shade. 

“If something comes up, text me. I can probably slip away from work long enough to help out with whatever Eric needs.”

“Aww, c’mon, have a little faith in me, Spence.” Darius says, throwing open the door before stepping outside. He goes all the way around the car just to talk to the husky through the driver side window. “But If something comes up and I can’t avoid it, I’ll let you know immediately. Promise.”

“Thank you. See you at practice, Darius.” Spencer says.

“See you then.” Darius replies, gracefully spinning around to head towards his bike. He puts a bit of extra sway in his hips, though he can’t be sure if that’s just how the lion walks by default. Something tells him that it’s not. 

Without really thinking anything of it, Spencer watches the lion the whole way to his bike, watching him hop on, strap on his helmet, and start it up. 

_“Have some faith in me” huh?_ Spencer idly thinks to himself. Darius turns towards him, waving goodbye. He returns the gesture, before the two of them start driving home.


	6. The Reason I Joined

When they had decided that Spencer and Coach Grifter were going to drive the teams in their cars, Darius had expected to be sitting in the back seat, watching Coach and Eric try their best to act natural. That obviously wasn’t the case, given that he’s in the passenger seat next to Spencer right now, Chester and Dozer instead trying their best to act natural and totally not together. 

At the very least though, Spencer seems wholly unperturbed by this set up. 

“Coach will probably go over this again once we all get there, but are there any questions I can answer for you guys while we have the time?” Spencer asks, in team captain mode it seems. 

“Oh right, Coach said something about Pitchford Heights having a clay court.” Dozer says. 

“Yeah, the biggest thing to take into account is that the ball doesn’t bounce as high as it picks up clay particles.” Spencer explains. “Though, it’s actually the country club we’re playing at that has the clay courts, so it’s not like they’re used to it either.”

“Uhh, sorry to ask this, but what are the games looking like for today?” Chester asks. “Just in terms of who’s gonna play with and against you.”

“That’s probably a better question for Coach. To be honest I didn’t memorize anyone other than the two I’m up against today.” Spencer comments. “As I recall though, you’ll play with Dozer, and I’ll be playing with Darius.”

“Hm? Wait, we’re playing a doubles match together?” Darius asks. Spencer gives him a sort of exasperated look. “I just figured you’d play with Eric.” Though the real reason he’d been spacing out the day Coach went over all that stuff was because of Spencer’s juicy ass in those shorts. 

“I guess it’s because we’ve done some practicing together recently that Coach Grifter considered it. You’re fine to play a doubles match with me, right?”

“Probably.” Darius says, though he really wants to say doubtfully. Sure, Eric and Spencer haven’t exactly been practicing playing in doubles games a lot, but it’s not like he and Spencer had either. And given just how good Spencer was, Darius would definitely be the reason they lost if they did. “What’re our opponents like?”

“Hmm, as far as Coach Grifter told me, one likes using lots of trick shots. The other is a solid power house.” Spencer says. “You’ll probably have to watch out for spin shots and stuff. You’ve been practicing those though, so you should be able to recognize what he’s doing by the way he hits with his racket.”

“Easier said than done, I haven’t really practiced receiving those shots.” Darius pouts. 

“You’ve gotten decent at returning those sorta hits from me, and I doubt he’ll be harder to handle than I am.” Spencer says, with a small smirk even. Darius can’t help but chuckle at the almost uncharacteristic display of cockiness. 

The country club is about how Darius expects it to be. It’s immaculate, to the point of sterility. Luckily his parents were never the type to regularly attend them, being the workaholics that they are. 

By some miracle, while they make it there first, Coach pulls up just moments after. Soon enough they’re all out of the cars, standing in a small group. 

“Alright, I hope we’re all ready for today. Don’t forget, even if it’s a practice match, take this seriously, and get as much out of the experience as you can.” Coach says. He goes soon into taking some questions, which Darius only half listens to. Spencer had answered any questions he had during the ride, anyway. 

Looking over at the courts, the lion can already make out the opposing team already inside, talking with one another in a huddle as well. 

“-and don’t forget to observe your opponents carefully during the warm ups. They’ll probably try and hide their own tricks and habits, but any information you can gather early will only help you during the match.” Coach Grifter says, checking his phone. “Let’s head onto the court, best not to keep them waiting for too long. Spencer, Darius, you’ll be on court 1. Eric, court 2. Dozer and Chester, court 3.”

Coach starts leading them all into the courts. “In about fifteen minutes you’ll be playing. Just remember what you’ve learned in practice, and you’ll all do great. Good luck!”

There’s an odd amount of pressure, comparable to his first few times on set, Darius thinks. It’s probably that the entire opposing team is watching them walk onto the court. It’s so bad that Darius doesn’t even think to check out any of the guys over there! 

“So, do you want to start off serving?” Spencer asks. 

“I think it’d be better to start with you, considering you’ve got the better serve.” Darius says. 

“You’ve been practicing them. But I suppose it wouldn’t be bad to save your serves as a surprise.” Spencer says as they arrive on court. “You’ve improved a lot, so any info they might have on you is bound to be dated.”

“Heh, you say that as if I’ve learned some secret forbidden technique.” Darius says. That actually gets the slightest bit of a chuckle from the husky. For a second, all he can think of is getting him to laugh again. 

“Hey, it looks like we’ll be your opponents for today.” Spencer says, speaking to the border collie and calico across the net. “I’m Spencer, this is Darius.” The lion gives a small wave towards the large dog. Large dog with a large bone no doubt. He wonders who’s packing more heat between Spencer and the collie. He’d guess Spencer-

 _Shit, I missed the introduction._ Darius thinks to himself. 

“Ahh, don’t mind my partner. He doesn’t really interact with opponents all too often.” The collie says, face apologetic. “Good luck and have fun today.”

“You too.” Darius says, getting a smile and a curt nod from the collie and cat respectively. 

The warm up rallies start up fairly simple. Just a back and forth. It’s actually the collie who switches it up first, suddenly slicing the ball. Darius returns it, though a bit high. The cat then does the same, this time forcing Spencer to dash for it. He doesn’t put in an excessive amount of effort though, simply returning the ball as normal. 

Slowly, they start approaching the net as Spencer and Darius make their way towards the back of the courts. The lion smiles deviously as he lobs the ball on his next return. He only meant to make them dash, but to his surprise they have a bit of a communication error. Both of them rush for it at the same time, stopping once they see the other, and the ball escapes the both of them. 

Darius makes a note of it, as no doubt Spencer did as well. Though his is also to make sure he calls out balls he’s going to go for.

Despite that fumble, the rest of the warm ups are wholly uneventful. “You guys can take first serve.” Spencer calls out, tossing the ball over the net. He gestures to Darius to get closer. “Don’t forget to watch his racket. If it’s angled weird, be ready for the ball to bounce low or bounce in place.”

“Gotcha.” Darius says. 

“One more thing.” Spencer says suddenly, as the cat gets in place. “He’s definitely gonna aim at you. Get ready.” Darius nods again, before taking up position on the court. 

Even if he hadn’t been expecting it, the cat makes it a bit too obvious that he’s aiming for Darius. Nevertheless, he readies himself. The ball is tossed up, and in a second is immediately flying towards the lion. It’s by no means an amatuer serve, but Darius can’t help but feel a bit spoiled compared to the stuff Spencer constantly threw at him. He returns the ball over the net without much issue. 

The collie similarly tries to follow up over the net, but seemingly out of nowhere, Spencer is there as well, returning the ball well past the canine and scoring them their first point. Spencer shoots Darius an approving nod, and the lion can’t help but smirk. Maybe he had gotten a bit better.

The next serve, Spencer is first to receive the ball. The cat tries for a drop shot, but his racket is angled a weird way.

“Got it!” Darius calls out, positioning himself to receive the ball. Spencer’s warning before the game started echoes in the back of his head, and he takes an extra step forward. The ball, as it bounces, nearly stays in place. Where he would have had to dash or dive for it before though, he can return it fairly easily. 

As a bit of payback, he gives a drop shot as well, making both of their opponents scramble from the back of the court. At the sight of the cat seething at the second lost point, Darius tosses him a playful wink, and the cat almost loses his shit. 

Weird as it was to say, Darius almost feels bad that he has Spencer on his side. The points the two manage to score are usually on Darius overextending or whatever. But in the best of five, Spencer has basically won them two games. The cat’s all but given up. 

“Got it.” Spencer calls out, slamming the ball back. It’s a slice into a nasty spot just between them. The collie calls it at least, but he hesitates seeing the cat still go for it. It bounces low, and with a dull thud, Darius and Spencer win their second match. 

Darius can’t help but feel bad for the calico as he stomps off the court. He’s been curb-stomped by Spencer enough times to know how much it sucks. 

“Good game.” The collie says, looking rather worn out.

“Good game.” Spencer and Darius reply, shaking his hand before he runs off after his team mate. 

“I didn’t expect to win so fast, to be honest.” Spencer says. “We haven’t really played doubles together, after all.”

“I think you’re underestimating how good you are.” Darius says plainly. 

“Hmph. Well you certainly held your own today.” Spencer says. “Good work today, Darius. You make for a good doubles partner.”

Darius feels his face burn up at the comment. “Ahh, well, y-you too, man.” He says, lamely. Spencer gives him a look, before flashing him a smirk for just a second, turning away just as quick. 

“C’mon. We finished pretty early, so let’s watch how everyone else is faring.”

“Alright everyone, eat up! You all deserve it after such great games today!” Coach Grifter says happily. 

They’d gone to a buffet after the matches were over with. To Coach’s surprise, they had all won their games. The other three’s a bit more hard fought than Spencer and Darius’s crushing wins, but victories all the same. 

“Gotta say though, you guys finished hella early.” Dozer says. 

“What can I say? We make a great team.” Darius boasts. 

“It helped that our opponents didn’t exactly know how to play with each other.” Spencer adds, no doubt going over the game in his head. “They barely made any callouts, and couldn’t cover for one another. Hell, it was like they never played together.”

“I mean, you and Darius haven’t played many doubles either, right?” Chester remarks. 

“You underestimate Spencer’s sheer skills to compensate for that.” Eric provides. “Plus you and Darius have done some practicing together, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

“It helps to learn his habits.” Spencer replies. 

“Ahh, enough tennis talk, let’s eat.” Darius says, starting to load up his plate. 

As far as buffets go, Darius had to admit this place was pretty damn good. Generally his opinion of them was that they were more the quantity over quality types of places. But Coach had damn good taste, though that probably reflected the price too. He briefly considers trying to somehow pay for himself, despite Coach Grifter already having paid. 

“Oh man I can’t wait for this weekend.” Chester says excitedly, mouth half full. 

“Something happening this weekend?” Darius asks. “A hot date maybe?”

He chokes for a second at that. Dozer pats his back in an effort to help him. “There’s a Magic the Gathering tournament he’ll be entering.”

 _Neeeerrrd._ Darius thinks to himself. “Oh, good luck.” Spencer says, politely. 

“Th-Thanks.” Chester says, blushing a bit still. “The card shop owner hosting the tournament is gonna give a box of the newest set to the top five. I think I got a pretty good shot.”

“Uhh, sorry but what’s Magic the Gathering?” Eric asks. 

“Just one of the first and most popular TCGs in history!” Coach Grifter of all people shouts out. The conversation from then only devolves into more geek talk. Though Darius had to admit, there’s an odd charm to how enthusiast they’re being. 

His mind wanders, inevitably. But instead of just his usual fantasizing his entire team naked, he thinks back to the tennis game. It had been fun, all things considered. If he was being honest, he’d figured Spencer to butt heads with him more on the court. Or maybe hog the ball. Certainly he was good enough to play against two people on his own. 

But the husky had let him have his space and let him play. Hell, he learned a lot from it. There was something about playing with Spencer that seemed to make him play better. Maybe he just wanted to impress the dog, who knows. 

_Guess I shouldn’t be shocked I wanna impress him. I started tennis in the first place_ because _of him._ Darius idly thinks to himself. Where had it been? At the gym probably, in the tennis courts attached to it. The stoic husky had still been an enigma then. But watching him play that day . . .

From the practiced precision of his moves, to the power he’d trained up in his body, it was clear as day that Spencer loved tennis. And that enthusiasm had rubbed off enough on the lion to push him into joining too. Even after everything that’s happened . . . he’s glad he didn’t quit. 

“-Darius.” The lion snaps back to reality, looking over at the husky. The rest of the team is still chatting away amicably, still about the card game it seems. “Everything ok?”

He smirks. “Just thinking about how hot our opponent was.”

Instead of getting a disgusted or frustrated grunt, Spencer actually tilts his head curiously. “The calico or the collie?”

“Aww c’mon Spence, we both know I got a weakness for canines.” Darius says with a wide grin.

“Ugh.” Spencer grunts out, though there’s the faintest hint of a blush. That makes Darius’s tail whip around wildly under the table, his own heart pounding.


	7. Dynamite Springs

“I’m telling ya, Spencer, you’d get a lot more tips if you just showed a bit more skin!” Bam says. “And if you wanted, a lot more “tips” hehe.”

“Sadly I’m not looking to sell off my body _that_ much.” The husky says, slipping on his work outfit and carefully folding his clothes as he puts them in the locker. “Besides, unlike you, I enjoy teasing the customers a bit more. Make them work for it a bit, let their imaginations fill in a few spots.”

“Hmph, I suppose I can’t really argue with that.” Bam says. 

“It’s just a difference between how we work. You got plenty of assets to show off. Plus, it would be a bit strange if you started covering up all of the sudden.” Spencer says. 

“Aww, well I’m sure you’ve got plenty of assets yourself.” Bam says with a wink. 

Spencer lets out a huff, holding back from rolling his eyes. He supposed he had to thank Darius for desensitizing him to flirts like the lion himself and Bam. 

“I’m scheduled for a show today, right?” Spencer asks, walking over to the employee work schedule. He always made an effort to try and memorize it, but last minute changes always meant it was a good idea to double check the day of. 

“Yup. Pretty big crowd too.” Bam comments. Spencer had noticed too, with just how full the parking lot was. “Hehe, maybe it’s cuz you’ll be dancing today.”

“I doubt I’ve got anything like a following.” Spencer says, face warm. He can’t help his tail wagging though. 

“Nonsense, the boys always go fucking feral when you step onto the stage.” Bam insists. With a loud snap, the large dog pulls on his own speedo, his sparse ensemble complete. “Alright, all ready.”

Spencer nods, the two of them stepping out into the bustling club. 

As daunting as the job might’ve seemed, Spencer couldn’t help but think that, off stage at least, it was almost absurdly . . . normal. Sure, the customers were extra flirty, and in some capacity he was expected to be the same. But when the husky boiled it down, it was just taking orders and serving drinks. It was only the rarest occasion when he sat with a customer to try and get some extra tips from any one group. And certainly he made it clear that he wasn’t one of the servers who did “private dances” in the back rooms. 

“Just let me know if I can get you guys anything else.” Spencer says, placing two pitchers of beer onto the crowded table. 

“Aww, c’mon puppy, don’t you got any time to sit with us? Maybe have a few drinks?” A jaguar gentleman in a suit asks, almost pleads. 

“Hmm, well . . .” Spencer trails off, making a show of “thinking about it”. “I’m really sorry, but with how busy it is tonight, it’s all hands on deck.” They let out groans of disappointment, getting a chuckle out of the husky. “But I’ll be sure to check up on you boys later. Maybe after my dance?”

That gets a more positive response from them. He makes sure to strut a bit while he leaves to serve another table. 

It was a tip some of the other servers told him early on, choosing a sort of “character” to play when serving. Bam was the flirty, burly barkeep. There was a cheetah who tried to always stick to serving just one or two tables, giving them lots of attention and always earning himself big tips from them. Spencer had opted for a “hard to get” sort of character. It worked well for netting a few guys who thought throwing enough money at him would earn them some extra attention. Plus it meant he had an excuse to shy away from some of the more outright groping and all that. 

It also helped on busy nights like this. He didn’t exactly have much time to stay and flirt with just how many customers kept flowing in. Seriously, was there some event he didn’t know about? The only one he can think of is the “Wild West” night that’s in a few weeks. 

_That reminds me, I have to find some chaps and a cowboy hat. My normal belt should be fine-_ He freezes in his tracks, snapping his head to the right of him. He lets out a sigh of relief soon enough though. He had seen a flash of tan fur from a lion, but it obviously wasn’t Darius. Taking in a deep breath, Spencer shakes off the anxious feeling. 

There had been plenty of times when he was “sure” he had seen one of his classmates or team mates. But it was never anything. The closest thing that applied was when he saw the astrology professor here. But he’d never taken that class, nor planned to, so it wasn’t really a big concern to him. 

It’s slowed down luckily. But as of late, the few times it did happen, it had always been Darius. Or, well, a Darius look-alike. 

“Bam, you got the next order ready?” Spencer calls out over the music and the usual racket of the club. Bam just gives a thumbs up, before carefully handing him a platter of shots. 

Thinking about it, he supposes he’s had Darius on the mind a bit more often than usual. Needless to say, the lion . . . confused him. It’s not like the damn cat has changed an ounce. He’s still the same pervy, shmarmy, capricious lion as always. But . . . well it was undeniable that he’d seen a slightly more positive side of the lion as of recent. Someone . . . dependable. 

_Less saw and more was reminded_ , Spencer thinks to himself. On the other hand though, it’s not exactly a coincidence that they’ve had so many interactions as of late. Try as he may, Spencer couldn’t escape the lion coming to interact with him. Usually to bother him. 

The bigger reason though has to be that Darius is the last person Spencer would want finding out about this. No doubt Darius would call him a hypocrite, being so “prudish” against the lion while stripping as a job. As if what he was doing and how the lion acted were even comparable. 

Placing the tray of shots on the table, Spencer checks his phone as discreetly as he can. Nearly show time. He rushes back to the changing room, heart racing a bit for the upcoming show. 

“And now for the dog you’ve all been waiting for, WHITE THUNDERRRR” 

He inwardly cringes at the name. But the cheers from the crowd alleviates any embarrassment. Throwing the curtains aside, he struts onto the stage, a cocky smirk on his face as he surveys the crowd. He can’t really see any faces yet, with the spotlight blinding his still adjusting eyes. But he can at least tell the place is packed. He feels himself chub up a bit at the crowd. 

Walking forward onto center stage, he pops the first button on his flannel shirt, revealing just enough of his chest before grabbing onto the pole. It isn’t long before the music starts urging him to move along. It’s one of his favorites, the slow, heavy beat vibrating through him. 

He starts off easy, just taking a few steps around the pole, letting the crowd get a look at him from all angels. From his tight jeans perfectly hugging his rump and framing his bulge, to the flannel hugging his muscular torso. Gripping the pole, he spins around it suddenly, making one full revolution before stopping himself with his back facing the crowd. 

Arching his back, he makes sure to show off his . . . assets. Just that little bit already gets the bills flying, catcalls and whistles filling the club. He grinds against the pole a little longer, slowly undoing another button before turning to face the crowd again, legs spread as he leans against the metal bar. 

Holding his hands above him, gripping onto the pole, he slowly lowers himself, showing off his bulging hardness still trapped in his jeans. He gives a small smirk to the crowd before grabbing his shirt, ripping it open violently. All for show of course, the buttons were the type that just popped in. Like hell he’d ruin good shirts every show. 

The dance continues on as normal for the most part. Body rolls against the pole, doing a few spins, hell even doing one of the more advanced moves and hanging nearly upside down for a moment. He lets the music and the energy of the crowd take him over, riling them up more and more. 

Nearing the ending of his song, he finally fully takes off his shirt, leaving him in just his jeans and the suspender straps holding them up. By design though, his pants sit dangerously low on his hips, hinting just enough what could’ve been beneath. Entirely spontaneously, he throws the flannel shirt into the crowd, a sea of hands reaching out for it as if it were a bouquet at a wedding. 

That’s when he sees him. He turns around quickly, trying to calm down his racing heart, thrumming in his chest for all the wrong reasons. He tries to keep his body moving, showing off his rear before taking a spin. 

_Keep calm. It’s probably the same lion from earlier_. Spencer says to himself, facing the crowd again before groping himself, his other hand pulling against the suspender. 

He knows he shouldn’t look. Or rather, he feels as if looking there would only make things infinitely worse. There’s seconds of the song left, he can hold out, just keep up the performance for that long. 

But, inevitably, he looks over again towards his 10 o’clock, near the back. An endless pit forms in his stomach as he sees the lion staring right at him, jaw dropped. The song ends, leaving only the cheering of the crowd. 

“Yo, dude, great show!” A coworker calls out, before pausing for a second. “Oh, hey, are you ok man?”

“I’m fine.” Spencer says curtly, practically marching through the backstage. He doesn’t even think twice about walking out shirtless. 

Bursting from the employees only room, he starts scanning the club for that bastard. His heart is racing. How the hell did he even find out? No, better yet, what the hell was he doing here? His face burned with embarrassment at the thought that the lion had been watching him the whole time. 

His mind is a typhoon of messy thoughts. _Of course he had to be the one to find out_. Spencer thinks to himself. He felt . . . violated, somehow. This was the one place he could show this side of him. Be cocky and showy and feel sexy without . . . without him WATCHING!

His blood boils as he finally spots Darius chatting it up at the bar with Bam. His ears are burning as he can already hear the conversation they were having in his head. No doubt about the “hot husky on stage showing it all off”, Darius taking a perverse pleasure in secretly knowing exactly who the dog was. 

The lion’s ears twitch and swivel in his direction as he practically stomps towards the bar. He turns, eyes widening in surprise before morphing back into his usual “charming” smirk. 

“H-Hey, Sp-” Before Darius can even finish uttering his name, the husky grabs him by the wrist, pulling him roughly towards the “Employee’s Only” door. The noise of the bar becomes muffled and distant the moment Spencer kicks it closed behind them, letting Darius go before glaring him down. “What the hell, Spence?!”

“How the fuck did you find out I worked here?” Spencer asks, getting straight to the heart of the matter. His eyes bulge out. “Did that guy from the cafe tell you? What, did you look for him just to ask about me?”

“I- No, believe it or not I just decided to go out. A friend recommended this club so I thought I’d check it out.”

“Oh _sure._ ” Spencer spits out. “You just happen to be at this particular strip club at this time of night, huh? Just a happy little accident, is that it?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s not exactly a big town, and I doubt there are a lot of strip clubs.” Darius says plainly, as if Spencer is the one being crazy here. 

“Darius, you can’t expect me to believe that you just _happened_ across this place.” Spencer says, anger boiling up from his gut. “I mean, you’ve taken literally every fucking opportunity to get on my nerves after all, what’s so different about tonight?”

“I . . . what are you even talking about?” Darius asks. 

“Oh don’t even _try_ to play dumb. Ever since I asked you to just ignore me, you’ve made it a _point_ to get under my skin.” Spencer says. “There’s the library. There’s the cafe. There’s the constant flirting, with me, and with Eric-”

“What does it matter if I flirt with Eric, it’s not like you’re dating him.” Darius retorts. 

“You _always_ ramp it up whenever I’m looking at you two! Always . . . touching him! And Your lame innuendos and all the other pervy shit you do! And now you’ve stalked me all the way here-”

“Like I said, I didn’t _stalk-_ ”

“I don’t need anymore of your bullshit!” Spencer shouts, snarling at the lion. “Not now, not ever! Because if I didn’t make it **abundantly** clear before, I don’t want _anything_ to do with your sleazy ass”

A tense silence echoes out in the room as the two stare at each other, Spencer seething with anger and Darius on the cusp of losing it himself. The husky almost wants him to say something, just so he can yell back. 

“Is everything ok back here?” Bam’s voice pierces the overbearing atmosphere. “You need any help, Spence?”

“Don’t worry, I was just about to leave.” Darius says, eyes still locked onto his. “Not like he’ll listen to anything I’d say.” 

He watches Darius sulk off, carefully making his way around Bam, the door shutting behind him. All at once, all the energy leaves Spencer. He slumps down in the nearest chair, head in his hands. 

“Who was that guy?” Bam asks. Spencer doesn’t respond. He can’t. “I . . . is there anything I can do to help? I can talk to the bouncer, we’ll blacklist his ass-”

“No, I . . . he’s just a . . . a classmate.” Spencer finally says, looking up at Bam. “I just need a moment, then I’ll be back to work in no time.”

“Hey, you only got like an hour left anyway. Boss won’t mind if you head home early.” Bam says, hesitating a bit before squeezing his shoulder. 

“Thanks. I’ll think about it. For now I just . . . need to get my thoughts sorted.” Spencer says, giving him a tired smile. Bam returns one in kind, before heading back to the bar. 

He considers for a moment actually blacklisting the lion. There wasn’t anything stopping him from coming back and messing with the husky after all. Sure, the lion couldn’t molest him or anything, but a few touches wouldn’t necessarily be out of the question. And if he brought friends along . . .

His stomach turned. God the team . . . what would happen if he told them? How would any of them be able to look him in the eye ever again? He wasn’t selling his body or anything, but he’d be shocked if anyone held stripping in particularly high regards. 

Darius had real blackmail material on him. Hell, with how Spencer blew up at him, the lion was all but guaranteed to get back at him by spilling to everyone he knew. His reputation would be just as bad as Darius. He doubted the college could kick him out for having this sort of job, but . . . 

Spencer tries to push those thoughts out of his head, feeling nauseous. He might just take Bam up on his offer.

* * * *

He feels absolutely exhausted, walking to practice. The husky couldn’t even get a wink of sleep thinking about what had happened, and what could come from today’s practice. 

_I could call in sick . . ._

Letting out a sigh, he walks up into the courts. Calling in sick would only be delaying the inevitable. 

With just the first few steps onto the court, he’s paralyzed as all eyes lock onto him. The moment stretches out, and drags on. He wants to run. 

“Spence, you feeling ok?” Eric asks, walking up to him. “It’s not like you to be late. And you look a bit tired.”

“. . . Uh . . .” He stares for a bit. Was he just being polite? No, Eric is a shit liar. Glancing to the rest of the team, they’re already looking away, either already warming up or something else. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m fine though.”

“You sure you’ll be ok to practice today?” Coach Grifter asks. “Regular training is important, but so is taking care of your body.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Spencer says. “What’re we doing today, Coach?”

“Monkey on a String.” Coach says, prompting Eric to ask immediately what that is. 

Practice is . . . normal. Other than him being sleep deprived and making a lot more mistakes than usual. No one gives him any strange looks, there aren’t any whispers or gossip, and the only thing really out of the ordinary is Coach, Eric, and Dozer concerned about his health. 

That’s not entirely true though . . . there was one other strange thing today.

“Spencer . . . did you and Darius get into a fight or something?” Eric asks as they start cleaning up the courts. 

“You could say that.” Spencer says vaguely. The lion had been sulking all day, not really saying much and not flirting at all. And despite the entire team playing together, the lion hadn’t gone out of his way to try and trip up Spencer at all. If anything he tried his best to avoid the dog. 

Eric lets out a sigh. “Well, whatever’s going on between you two, I hope you guys figure it out or something.” Spencer gives a nod. “You know, I know he can be a bit . . . forward and all that. But he’s not a bad guy, Spence.”

Spencer makes a face. He knows, because Eric gives him an annoyed look.

“Look, it’s . . . complicated.” Eric lets out a sigh before shrugging, letting them finish cleaning up in silence. 

They head to the locker room to get changed and head home. Darius, usually always the last one out, uncharacteristically gets right to changing into more casual clothes before leaving. Spencer doesn’t even bother changing before trying to discreetly follow the lion outside, the moment they’re out of view grabbing the lion’s wrist. 

“Hey- whoah!” Darius exclaims as Spencer pulls him to the back of the building. “You got a nasty habit of dragging people around.” The lion complains, rubbing his wrist. 

“Did you tell them?” Spencer asks. “No, as a better question, why _didn’t_ you tell them?”

Darius lets out a frustrated huff. “God, what kinda scumbag do you think I am?” Darius asks. “Of course I didn’t tell them about your job, I doubt you wanted anybody to know after all. Or, well I’m assuming, considering what your job is.”

Spencer’s face reddens at that, but he doesn’t say anything. 

“I mean, besides that, who the fuck would even believe me?” Darius says. “Golden boy like you, a stripper? I mean, c’mon.”

Once again, the husky doesn’t have anything to say. Darius stares at him for a few seconds, before turning to walk away. 

“Wait.” Spencer finally says. “Was it really true? That you just went to Dynamite Springs for fun? Not cuz you heard I worked there?”

“You didn’t believe me yesterday. Why would it make a difference now?” He says plainly, before walking off. 

Alone at the back of the building, he can’t help but feel an odd sense of guilt bubbling in the pit of his stomach.


	8. Reconciliation

“You know, you’re making it oddly hard to never talk to you again, Spencer.” The lion says, leaning on one hand, watching him from across the table. It’s almost strange to see him without a smirk or a smile. Just . . . halfway between neutral and a frown. 

“Look I . . . I just thought it would be good to talk. About . . .” He can barely look the lion in the eye. Instead he focuses on the all too familiar apartment. Barely anything has changed really, from the almost gaudy headshot of the lion to the piano nestled next to the large window, to the clean couch where he would nervously lean up against the lion. 

Darius lets out a borderline dramatic sigh, looking out the window. “I already told you I’m not gonna tell anyone else.” He says, tiredly. It certainly seemed like he was looking for an escape route. Which would be difficult, considering this was his home. 

“No, not that- well, sort of that. I just . . .” Spencer wants to scream. For all everyone said about being so mature and grown up, he certainly was feeling childish right now. He takes in a deep breath. “I wanted to apologize.”

Darius turns to him suddenly, looking at him as if he were some sort of alien. Certainly he hadn’t read Spencer’s texts, since he had told the lion his intentions there, he was fairly sure. 

He’s not exactly surprised though, considering it had taken asking Eric to text him, asking if the human could come over. And then arriving at the lion’s door instead, with food from his favorite place. Even then, the lion had only let him in tentatively. 

“. . . Uh, apologize for what, exactly?” Darius asks, on edge. 

“For . . . well a lot I guess.” Spencer says, trying his best to not look like he was absolutely dying on the inside. “Starting with my . . . outburst at the club. I was nervous about anyone finding out about my job and . . . well I _really_ didn’t want you to find out.”

“Mm.” Darius hums. “Well, apology accepted. Thanks for lunch.”

“That wasn’t all I was gonna say.” Spencer says, annoyed at the lion’s attempt to speed up the conversation. “Look I know I’ve been . . . maybe unfairly hostile to you recently. And I’m sorry for that. It’s not like I think you’re a terrible person. You’re not. It’s just . . .”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s complicated.” Darius says, looking away again. The silence drags on, as something weighs on his mind. Or maybe it’s him weighing things in his mind. He lets out another sigh. “Let’s move to the couch, yeah?” 

Spencer nods, the two of them moving to the couch. They sit on opposite ends, leaning against the armrests to half face each other. It only occurs to Spencer now how tired Darius looks, as if he’s been losing sleep.

“Honestly, I think it would be easier if I was just flat out angry at you, for what happened at the club. And everything else. Maybe if I was a bit denser or something.” Darius says, rubbing his eyes. “And to be clear, it’s not like I’m _not_ angry at you every now and then. Sometimes it feels like you’re looking for a reason to judge me.”

“But the truth is, I get it. Some of the things you said were true. You asked me to leave you alone, and sure it’s not like I could avoid you forever. We have the same fucking classes after all, plus the club and everything. But . . . well I did like bothering you. Getting under your skin, getting a reaction out of you, all that stupid shit.”

“I’m just that fun to mess with, huh?” Spencer says, trying to lighten the mood a bit. 

“I mean, yeah. But looking back on it, it’s not the only reason.” Darius says. Spencer could practically see the words stuck in the lion’s throat, a thick, choking clump. 

“Look, I can’t change the way I am. And frankly, I’m not gonna deny who I am either. I’m easy. I’m a slut. So when you thought I was trying to just get in your pants when we were . . . well you were right.”

It hurt a bit. Hearing the lion say that. It was always an unspoken assumption, but still. “I’m not some complicated, tragic character. I wasn’t heartbroken or anything, and I don’t need any _fixing_ or some shit. I just like sex. And I don’t like dealing with feelings. So, simple enough, I always separated the two. So when . . .”

Darius fidgets in his spot uncomfortably, looking like he might run off at any second. “So when we started hanging out more. And when I started to look forward to you just . . . being there. With me. And then when Isaac said all that stupid shit, and you dropped me.” Darius rubs his face, tail thrashing wildly. “I just couldn’t really stand not having you there anymore. I hated the thought of you just ignoring me. More than the thought of you hating me. Not that I even realized what the fuck I was doing.”

“Darius . . . are you saying . . .” Spencer is almost scared to let loose the words. 

“Ughhh, please don’t make me say it.” Darius says, ears pinned back, face flushed. “I liked you, ok? God, you warmed up my icy fucking heart.”

The seconds tick by as Spencer is left gaping, staring dumbly at the lion at the odd revelation. 

“Don’t take this as some sort of late, heartfelt confession either.” Darius says. “I may have only really realized my feelings . . . well . . . recently. But I’m not stupid. I know that whatever we had between us, it’s gone. I fucked it up. Well, technically Isaac. But still.”

“I mean, that’s not exactly true.” Spencer says. “I could have tried to listen to you. Or something. Done more than just cut you off and pretend it never happened.”

The lion lets out a snort. “I mean even then. The only reason you liked me is because you didn’t really know the real me, right? Didn’t know my reputation, and all that.”

“Psh, you’re talking as if you were some sort of chaste angel while we were dating.” Spencer says. “You were the same pervy lion you are now. Dialed down, maybe, but . . . fundamentally the same.” 

“Hmph.” Darius turns towards the husky. “Still, if you knew I was basically the campus sex toy . . .”

Spencer doesn’t say anything. Because truthfully, he’s not sure how he would have reacted back then. He wouldn’t have judged him so harshly, but getting involved with him to the degree they did . . .

“You know what’s the stupidest part? I think I missed just hanging out with you the most. None of my other hook up buddies really stay to hang. Not that I’d let em. I just sorta liked spending time with you.”

“Wow, I knew that most of your friends were fuck buddies, but I didn’t know that meant you had _no_ friends.” Spencer says. Darius gives him a light smack with his tail for that. “I . . . I guess it’s too late to just bury everything that happened under the carpet.”

“Not a carpet big enough in the world to hide all that.” Darius says with a small chuckle.

“But I mean . . . doesn’t mean we can’t be friends again.” Spencer says. “I was really hurt thinking that the only thing you wanted was to get me into bed. And you figuring out you liked me is . . . well it’s confusing. But more than anything, I feel like recently we _have_ been getting on a bit better.”

“Excluding the more recent events.” Darius points out. That actually gets a small whine from the dog, and he has to try his best to hold his laughter in. 

“Ughh, I know, I know.” Spencer says, turning fully to face the lion now. “Look, I’ll promise not to be so . . . aggressive with you.”

“Maybe a little less judgy, too?” Darius asks, with a small pout. 

“A little less judgy, too. Within reason.” Spencer clarifies. “And, if you want, maybe we can try being friends again.”

“. . . I’ll warn you now, I’m not gonna suddenly change, you know.” Darius says. “I’ll still be flirty. Probably come onto you. S’just who I am.”

“That’s fine. I’ll just shut you down like I always do. Though if you do go too far, you’ll get an earful.” 

“Haha, I guess that’s fair.” Darius says, a smile back on his face. He leans back against the couch, letting out a relieved sigh. “Haaaaaahhhh, man, that felt pretty damn good. Getting all that off my chest.”

“I feel pretty good too.” Spencer says. “Wait, so do you forgive me? Not that you’re obliged to or anything.”

“Yeah, yeah, I forgive you.” Darius says, getting up from the couch. “But if you wanna make extra sure you’re forgiven-” “-Darius-” “-you can join me for lunch.” 

It’s equal parts relieving and annoying to see the lion’s smirk back in full force. “I didn’t exactly get any for myself.”

“Really? I mean what I usually get is fucking huge anyway. We can just share.” Darius says, walking over to the kitchen. 

“Well . . . if you don’t mind, I’m pretty hungry.”


	9. Backyard Maintenance

“Thanks again for your help, everyone.” Coach says, for the umpteenth time. 

“It’s nothing, Coach.” Eric chimes in, smiling a bit too widely for it to be normal. Though by this point, it’s obvious to Darius just what exactly was going on. Probably to everyone, really. You don’t just round up your whole tennis team to clean up your coach’s backyard. “We were all free, anyway. Besides, you’ve done so much for us!”

“Heh, well still. Definitely treating you all to the best damn barbeque you’ll ever eat!” Coach Grifter announces, giving a hearty laugh afterwards. 

_Not the only meat Coach’ll be giving Eric tonight, hehe._

“Darius, stop it.” Spencer chides. 

“I didn’t even say anything.” Darius complains, pouting for extra measure. 

The husky rolls his eyes. “It was clear from the face you were making. You even chortled to yourself.”

“Hmph, still didn’t say it.” Darius insists, focusing again on scrubbing the pool wall and floor alongside the husky.   
If the lion was being entirely honest, his first impression of the yard had been that it looked abandoned. The grass and weeds had grown tall enough to hide a body, the patio awning looked ready to collapse, and the pool had been a few steps from a full blown swamp. But there were six strong men at work, and Darius felt confident they could fix this place up. Though if he was being honest, he would’ve preferred not drawing the shortest straw. 

Well, to say he drew the shortest straw isn’t exactly right. Rather he was unceremoniously volunteered for this position by a certain husky. It only makes sense though. Coach and Eric are tending to the lawn and the garden that apparently existed. Dozer and Chester are handling taking down the awning before it gives out and concusses someone. That left the odd men out with the least wanted jobs. And Spencer, being the self-sacrificing dog that he is, of course took that job up. 

“Still pouting over there, Darius?” Spencer asks.

“If you must know, yes.” the lion responds, continuing to scrub away the algae that had accumulated on the walls and floor of the pool. 

“Look on the bright side. You might get to swim a bit after we’re done.” Spencer says. 

“Unlikely. We’d have to wait until the pool is filled, not to mention it still needs to be disinfected the first time around.” Darius explains. “Do you think Coach has a pool cleaning kit?”

“Hmm, maybe. I suppose we’ll just have to ask him later.” Spencer says, grabbing the hose again and spraying down the area’s they’ve been working on a bit. “To be honest I’ve never cleaned a pool before. I’m glad you’re here though.”

“Mm, don’t count on me. I’ve only ever done the basic stuff. Frankly I’ve never seen a pool as dirty as Coach Grifter’s.” Darius says with a chuckle. “I mean I can see how it got like this though. Pool maintenance sucks. No surprise that most people just hire someone to take care of this sorta stuff.”

The lion suddenly chuckles to himself. 

“Something wrong?”

“Just imagined a cheesy porno with Eric as the poolboy for Coach Grifter.”

“Pfft.” Darius’s head snaps up at the noise. Spencer though is stoic faced as ever, ears flicking. “That was not at all appropriate to say-”

“Did you just laugh?”

“N-No I did not.”

“Oh my god you _totally_ did! I’m rubbing off onto you, aren’t I?” Darius asks excitedly.

“Ugh, just get back to work.” Spencer says, not able to look the lion in the eye. Darius smirks to himself smugly. 

They’re about halfway done before the group decides to take a break, sitting down at the slightly dusty porch table.

“Wow, you guys took this down fast.” Eric comments, glancing over at the pieces of the awning now disassembled on the floor. 

“It was pretty simple, surprisingly.” Dozer comments. “Good thing Coach was able to dig out the manual for it.”

“Only question now is what to do with it.” Chester says thoughtfully. 

“I’ll probably toss it.” Coach Grifter answers, coming back from inside, cups and a pitcher of lemonade in hand. “No real point keeping it around. Even back when it was new, it wasn’t like I was hosting a lot of barbeques or anything.”

“Well now that you two are done with this, think you guys can help out with the pool?” Darius asks. 

“Might as well, it’ll go faster that way.” Chester says, taking his glass of lemonade and downing nearly half of it in one go. The others similarly follow suit when they receive theirs. “Whew, this is good!”

“Hehe, thanks. Homemade believe it or not. I figured I might as well if you all were gonna go through the trouble of coming out here.” Coach Grifter says, looking back over the backyard. “Seems so crazy. I figured fixing up the backyard would take so long there wasn’t any point. And even if there really are six of us, to think it’s already improved so much . . .”

“I mean it’s _six_ people. Only natural we get it done with all of us at it.” Darius comments. 

“I can see how it’s daunting though.” Spencer adds. “My place is a fucking mess. But I never seem to have enough spare time to clean it. Or at least I’d rather be devoting time to something else, like homework or sleeping or-”

“-Jerking off?” Darius adds, getting a quick smack from the husky. 

“I think everyone’s got a place like that.” Chester says thoughtfully. “At my workplace, we have this _super_ messy supply closet. We can’t even get anything out of there. It’s jam packed with junk the owners just kept stuffing in there. Ugh, not to mention cleaning up after a kid’s party.”

“I saw the aftermath once, it was like a tornado hit.” Dozer says, deadly serious. “I’m still not sure how so many slices of pizza got stuck to the underside of that one table.”

“Gum, apparently . . .” Chester says, glumly. 

“Chester . . . why do you work there?” Eric asks.

“I mean we don’t get too many birthday parties, luckily. Or at least not the kid variety. It’s mostly college students, so it’s not that bad.” Chester says. “Plus they’ve got a lot of cool games there. Hehe, on slow days, me and my coworkers play.”

“Damn, that sounds pretty fun.” Darius says. “That’s the place with a bowling alley too, right?”

“Mhm! And karaoke rooms too! Plus they’ve got ping pong tables, air hockey, and even places to play card games and stuff.” Chester goes on excitedly. “The manager’s trying to convince the owner to invest in some consoles too, I think, so we can have a room where you can play smash and other fighting games.”

“At that point though, we could go to your place and play.”

“It’s about the atmosphere, it’s the difference between watching a movie at home and watching it at the theatre. Totally different.” Chester says almost sagely. It makes a lot of sense to Darius though. The bull gasps suddenly. “We should go to the arcade together!”

“All of us?” Spencer asks. 

“Yeah! There’s something for all of us, after all. Plus I could get you guys discounts for everything, from food to the play cards.”

“Honestly sounds fun, I’d be down.” Darius says. 

“Me too, I've never actually gone to an arcade I think.” Eric says.

“Haha, it does sound nice, having everyone go together.” Dozer says, finishing off his drink before letting out a satisfied sigh. “But we can plan this all later. For now we should get back to work.”

“Ughh, we’ve barely sat down.” Darius complains. The others laugh him off though as everyone stands back up. 

“Faster we do this, the quicker we get that promised Barbeque.” Spencer encourages. The thought of a bunch of grilled meat does motivate the lion a bit. Not as much as the team’s prime “meat” though. 

Cleaning the rest of the pool isn’t too bad. In the end, Dozer and Chester were actually split between pool and garden duty, which only makes sense given how many weeds they needed to pull out of the ground. Darius personally didn’t see much point in doing so, but maybe Coach Grifter wanted to plant a garden or something. 

All that matters to him is that the pool looks pretty damn clean by the time the sun starts to sink down. 

The grass is trimmed down, the garden beds are now at the very least barren of weeds, and mostly ready for anything Coach decides to grow, and the pool, though empty, is pretty damn spotless. 

“I have to thank you boys again for all of this. Once I got the pool filled up and cleaned properly, I’ll be sure to invite you all over for something a lot more fun than gardening and pool maintenance.” Coach Grifter says, smiling widely at the vast improvement. 

“Maybe to celebrate after the tournament.” Eric suggests. 

“Bold of you to say celebrate, as if the tournament’s a done deal.” Spencer chimes in teasingly. “I like the confidence.”

“Pfft, well I didn’t mean to imply that we’d win no problem.” Eric says, face red. “But I do think we’ve got a pretty good chance at it.”

“Hell yeah we’ve got a good chance at winning!” Chester shouts out enthusiastically. 

“Heh, well don’t get cocky now. There are a lot of great players in your upcoming matches, you’ll all need to work hard. But for now, you all relax. I’m gonna get the grill started up, treat you all to something real nice.” Coach Grifter says, puffing out his chest a bit even.

“Do you need any more help, Coach?” Dozer asks politely. 

“If you all wouldn’t mind, maybe bring out a few things. Plates, napkins, drinks, the food . . .”

“Got it.” Spencer says, the rest of us going into action soon enough. 

It isn’t more than fifteen minutes before the smell of grilled veggies and meat fills the backyard, probably making everyone in a hundred foot radius salivate. For what it’s worth though, everyone waits patiently around the table, making small talk while Coach cooks everything up. 

_Man, the way the sweat is making his tank cling to his body, showing off every little detail-_

“Hey Darius, can you help me bring out some cups for everyone?” Eric asks. Darius’s ears twitch at the question. Or more so his very unsubtle attempt to get him alone. His curiosity is piqued though, enough to repress any urges to poke fun or tease him. 

“Sure, no problem.” Darius says, getting up from the chair and following him inside. 

The sliding glass door closing behind him, the lion looks at Eric expectantly. 

“So . . . I noticed a while back that you and Spencer have been . . . acting weird.” He says, awkwardly, feigning looking around for cups. “Like, more than usual.”

“Heh, you noticed, huh?” Darius asks, aiding him in his search. “I can’t really go into the details but some shit went down, some things were said, and to be honest I had to do a lot of self reflection.”

“Ahh . . .”

“He was the one to come and apologize first, if you’d believe it.” Darius says, still finding the notion somehow unbelievable. Judging by Eric’s expression, it’s just as shocking to him too. “Needless to say, we had a heart to heart.”

“Oh! So are you two good now?”

“Well . . .” He scratches his head awkwardly. “I don’t know, really. We’re better. Not angry at each other or anything. But I don’t really know if the two of us will ever be “good”.”

“That makes sense.” Eric says with a small, disappointed sigh. “I mean, so long as you aren’t at each other's throats, that’s a start.”

“Heh, yeah, it’s a start.” Darius says, smiling. “Now c’mon, find those cups already so we can get out there and eat.”

“Alright, alright.” Eric says, reaching into a cupboard and grabbing a glass for everyone. Darius takes a few off his hand as well, if only because Eric looked like he was a second away from having them all slip out of his grasp and smash onto the kitchen floor. 

“Darius, Eric, you good with everything on your burgers?” Coach asks from the grill. 

“Yup.” Darius calls out before sitting back down in his spot next to the husky. 

“No onions for me, actually.” Eric says, getting a thumbs up from the bear. 

“So what did Eric want to talk about?” Spencer asks, quiet enough that probably no one else heard the question. 

“Just some sex questions, probably before he puts the moves on a certain bear.” Darius says, wiggling his eyebrows. The husky rolls his eyes before returning to the conversation at the table. 

_Heh, thought he’d have a stronger reaction to that._ Darius thinks to himself. _Guess things are better than they were before . . ._


	10. Discovering Dance Class

It’s not too often that Darius stays on campus. Other than to use the school gym and ogle the eye candy of course. But, well, what could he say? He took Spencer’s words to heart when the husky told him he should explore the college. 

Definitely taking Spencer’s advice, not waiting for a hot muscle bottom to get out of class-

DLMuscleBtm: Sorry, won’t be able to meet up, boyfriend was waiting for me outside of class. Maybe next time? ;D

The lion lets out a low growl as he immediately blocks him. He’s easy, not a homewrecker. He supposes they could have been open, but his profile saying he was single looking for “discreet play” told him otherwise. 

Getting up from the cold, concrete bench, he sighs in disappointment. Campus exploration over, it seemed. A damn shame too, that dog had an ass on him. Not as nice as Spencer’s though, Darius considers. 

Now that he thinks about it, he’s been a lot more into canines recently. A lot of his new hook ups were dogs of some kind. He’d have to try and nip that in the bud if he was trying to project Spencer onto any of them. Though he might’ve just had a weakness for canines. So damn expressive. And their tongues-

“Hm?” His ears twitch as he can hear the sound of music. And not just any, ballroom music. It’s nostalgic . . . or maybe traumatic is the better word. He liked dancing as much as the next person, but ballroom dancing in elementary school wasn’t exactly something he looked forward to. Even back then he wasn’t too keen to be pressed up so close to other girls. And past that, he distinctly remembers a lot of . . . feet stomping. 

_Better than square dancing . . . maybe._ Darius thinks to himself as he mindlessly follows the music. Looking into the large room, he can obviously tell it’s a dance studio. If he was being honest, he didn’t know the college offered dance classes. Though if there were such things as dance majors, it only makes sense, he supposes. 

There’s quite a large variety of people there too, spanning ages and species and- 

Darius’s eyes shoot wide open as he leans forward, spotting Spencer at the front of the class, going through motions demonstratively. In a gold, skin tight leotard. It looks . . . it looks so goddamn loud on the dog, but also Darius can’t get his eyes off that tantalizing bulge framed perfectly as the husky smoothly goes through the motion. 

_He’s pretty damn good._ Darius thinks to himself as Spencer continues on for the class. For a moment, he has to wonder if he was good at this because of his athletic body, or because of pole dancing. Then again, he might’ve been good at pole dancing because of the dance class. The lion had to admit, he was rock hard that night. He never imagined the stiff husky could look so . . . god damn alluring. Even now, that allure is present. In the way he stands so damn tall and confident, in each smooth dip and snap. 

Discreetly as he can, he stuffs his hands in his pockets, adjusting his hard on. 

The husky stands at the front of the class again, talking a bit before restarting the music, clapping out the beats for a moment as everyone gets into pairs and starts their own dancing. Whatever trance Spencer had Darius in, it fades as the husky goes into his “team captain” mode, calling out mistakes and aiding the dancers. _I guess here it’s more “teacher” mode than captain mode._

Before Darius fully realizes it, Spencer turns directly towards the window. Their eyes meet, and instinctively Darius looks away. As if that would help anything. Even ducking would have been better. He furtively glances back, seeing a fuming husky say something to the dancers before marching towards the door. Immediately he has flashbacks to the club, tail winding against his leg. 

Bursting through the door, Spencer glares at him. Less intensely than that night, maybe even a bit embarrassed. “Don’t suppose you just happened across this classroom, did you?”

“Would you believe me if I said yes?” Darius says, maybe a bit too impishly considering the circumstances. 

Spencer opens his muzzle, probably about to shout, but to the lion’s surprise, he stops himself. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath before looking at the lion again. “What are you even doing here? Your classes for the day should be over, right?”

“Well, uh . . .” Darius considers lying, as to not exacerbate the situation. Somehow he just can’t bring himself to do so. “I was waiting for a guy to finish his class so we could hook up.”

“Ah.” Spencer says, as if everything suddenly clicked. “Guessing something happened?”

“He had a boyfriend.” Darius says. “And call it a gut instinct but I don’t think he was aware of his grindr profile.”

“Well I’m glad you had enough self control not to cheat.” The husky says.

“Haha, it’s not really an issue of self control. Sex is easy enough to come by, and cheating causes a lot more pain and drama than I’d like to care for.” Darius says, leaning against the wall. “Plus I’d lose sleep over the guilt.”

“Hm, well so long as you’re not a bastard.” Spencer says. 

“You, uh . . . you look good.” Darius says, eyes gravitating lower.

“Hey, eyes up here.” Spencer barks out, snapping his fingers in front of the lion’s face.

“Sorry, sorry, just a . . . surprising outfit to see on you.” Darius says, fully looking away to resist the temptation. “Almost as surprising as seeing you teaching a damn dance class. You know Spence, usually people only have one or two things that are shocking about them. You’ve got like, what, ten?”

“It’s just a beginners class, I’m not an expert at it or anything.” Spencer says, tail still wagging as he crosses his arms. God damn, the way his arms are just- “Hey, Hey, eyes up here.”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just, damn.” Darius says. He smiles inwardly as the wagging only intensifies, despite his annoyed look. 

“Ugh. Well I’ve got about 15 minutes left of this class. Do you wanna stick around, and I can walk you to the parking lot of something?”

“Oh, sure.” Darius says.

“Alright then. Just sit off to the side and make sure you don’t disturb the dancers.” Spencer says. 

“Wait, you want me to actually go inside?”

“It would be weirder for you to just stay out here.” Spencer says. He can’t exactly argue with that. 

“How exactly do you have the time for all of it?” Darius asks, silently lamenting that Spencer’s now in his usual clothes. He still looks damn good, but that singlet . . .

“Classes are just once every other week, and I don’t really need to practice or lesson plan.” The husky says, the two of them walking towards the parking lot. “I also get credits for this.”

“Still. Tennis team super star, I’m assuming straight A student, and now dance instructor? Not to mention your night job. If I was as busy as you, I think I’d die.”

“Mm, I’ll admit it all takes up a lot of my schedule. But I manage.” Spencer says. “I’ll probably be squeezing in some practice today too.”

“Ugh, dude. Your work ethic disgusts me.” Darius groans. “Have you even had lunch yet?”

“I’ll have a late lunch afterwards.” 

“. . . I’m gonna regret saying this. But do you mind if I join you for practice?”

Spencer looks at him, surprised.

“Look, I didn’t really have any plans past the hook up, and that fell through. Might as well get in some practice with you and make sure you eat.”

“Believe it or not, I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it . . . much.” Darius says. “But I mean it’s always easier to practice with someone else, right?”

“I suppose I can’t argue there.” Spencer says, though his face tells Darius enough that he isn’t all too pleased. “Fine, join if you want.”

“I definitely will. And you know, since it’s just the two of us, maybe you can break out that singlet again and-”

“Don’t push it.”

“Pfft, I was joking. Well, half joking.” Darius pouts. “Anything you wanted to work on today?”

“Maybe getting better at spin shots.” Spencer says. “I can run you through the basics too.”

“Sounds good. They looked pretty damn cool at the practice matches.” Darius says, oddly content to go to the courts outside their usual tennis meet-ups. Wasn’t exactly his usual gym trip, but this wouldn’t lack any eye candy certainly.


End file.
